Ethiopian Casino Waits for Approval

There is a big chance that Ethiopians will have a casino soon in one of their five-star hotels. It all depends on the decision of the Ethiopian Council of Ministers, who will have to approve the project, presented to them by the Ministry of Revenue. If the Council approves the project, it will be presented to the Ethiopian parliament mid-February.

Many believe that this casino will be greatly beneficial to Ethiopia, as it will attract much-wanted tourists to the country. Ethiopia needs tourist to boost the countries economy. The casino will also create many jobs for Ethiopian citizens.

If the casino project will be approved, officials will have to decide where the casino games will be situated (within a particular part of the hotel-complex), who will be allowed to play, and what should be the wagering limits. The new casino regulations will be created according to existing regulations in the casinos of neighboring countries such as Egypt and Kenya.

In 1995, a similar casino proposal was presented to the Ethiopian parliament, but wasn't approved.

In the late eighties, the Ghion Hotel in Addis Ababa had its own casino, but it was shut down by Fikre Selassie Wogderesse, the prime minister at the time, due to a huge fight that caused the death of one of the visitors.