Fiji is determined to get casino, with the government saying there will be no referendum on the issue despite the country’s first casino licence holder losing its exclusive rights.
The Minister for Justice said that Fiji’s tourism industry is looking forward to a casino and draft laws are in place. “The nation is maturing and growing and the tourism sector is changing. Indeed, the nature of tourism in the world is changing.”
Fiji's first casino licence holder, One Hundred Sands, has been stripped of its 15-year exclusive gaming licence after failing to get its $290m project off the ground.
Biman Prasad, opposition party finance spokesperson, said the government needs to take investment proposals “with a pinch of salt,” adding: “It was too good to be true to begin with. It is a very important lesson for government for the future to watch out and do the due diligence before they give licences to companies which perhaps do not have the capacity or the capability to finally invest that kind of money.”
