Boten Laos, located on the border of China and in its close proximity to the notorious Golden Triangle has put an end to new concessions for Casinos.

It was suppose to be an economic booster for Laos by bringing in high rollers from around the world primarily China’s rich, but it also brought negative impact to the area in terms of crime.

“Casinos in special economic zones such as the one in Boten (in the north) have made no good contribution to development and even affected relations between China and Laos, so we don’t want them anymore,” Somsavat said.
The idea to end casino concessions in special economic zones came with a plan to review new economic zones in Laos as there had been confusion and ineffective regulation, he said.

The casino in Boten lured a lot of Chinese gamblers to the small border town. But it was a source of crime in the border area. China asked Laos to shut the casinos down in 2011 after news reports that Chinese gamblers were held hostage to repay their debts.

 

Source: Continue Reading @ nationalmultimedia.com