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THE BILL governing the operation of casinos is to be put to a vote at the plenum this coming Thursday, after MPs made some minor modifications to it on Tuesday.

The casino facilities may be located on the beachfront or extend into the sea, provided however that this is not entirely state land.

The restriction on the use of state land on or near the coast was inserted into the bill by MPs.

The bill provides that, where the casinos are located inland, the use of state land is limited to 5 per cent of the total area. However, in the original draft, this restriction was waived for the seafront.

Lawmakers on Tuesday decided to strike this seafront exemption, because keeping it in might have steered investors toward certain locations rather than others.

The bill allows 5 per cent of the casino development to lie on state land, in order not to create unnecessary complications. For example, the selected location might enclose a small tract that is state land. So a total prohibition on state land might have scuppered developers’ plans.

The government’s initial plan was for the creation of a casino resort and four regional ‘satellite’ establishments, which would only house slot-machines.

The bill has now been modified, giving investors an alternative – instead of four satellite casinos with slot machines only, they can opt to build one regional establishment with up to five table games and 50 slot machines, in addition to the main casino resort.

Other last-minute changes include extending the exclusivity period for the successful bidder in case of delays beyond 90 days in securing the relevant permits.

Also inserted is a clause stipulating that the terms of the agreement could change in the event of reunification so that the development remains viable.

The bill regulates such matters as the technical specifications of the slot machines, and approval of the machine suppliers by the gaming commission.

After enactment, investors will be given about a month to familiarise themselves with the law, after which the commerce ministry will issue a call for tender – around August.

The assessment will initially narrow down the tenders to three, and from these the best offer will be selected.

The commerce ministry plans to issue a casino licence by the end of the year, or beginning of the next.

Main opposition AKEL has tabled three amendments: prohibiting the issuing of credit within the casino, barring the operation of an additional casino with table games, and the introduction of additional criteria for admission of Cypriot nationals.

The communist party is ideologically opposed to the casino, arguing that it will exacerbate social problems.

Another matter that came up at the joint session of the House finance and commerce committees related to the government’s obligation, under an EU directive, to notify the European Commission of the legislation in its final form, that is, after it has been enacted.

To save time, the government notified the Commission of the bill prior to its passage. Commerce minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis reassured MPs that, as long as the latest modifications to the bill are non-substantial, there was no need to re-notify the Commission.

But this was questioned by officials from the attorney-general’s office.

It is hoped that the presence of casinos will increase the flow of tourists to the island by some 500,000.

By Elias Hazou