President granted 300 liquor licenses as Finance Minister: Vijitha

By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera  

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has granted 250 to 300 liquor licenses after he assumed duties as the Minister of Finance, NPP MP Vijitha Herath alleged yesterday.  

He told Parliament that the new Betting and Gaming Levy (Amendment) Bill will allow the issuing of unlimited numbers of licenses for casinos in the country apart from the already existing four.  

Speaking during the debate on the Betting and Gaming Levy (Amendment) Bill, the MP said there are only two casinos in Singapore while there is only one casino in Malaysia.  

“After the new Betting and Gaming Levy (Amendment) Bill is enacted, an unlimited number of casinos will be established in the country. This is a serious situation,” he said.