Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha
Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha clarified that the Bill’s reference to “shipboard” casinos does not imply selective or automatic licensing, but brings such activities within a regulated framework. He stated that licences would be granted only after assessing factors such as economic, social and tourism impacts, and rejected claims that the Bill permits indiscriminate approvals. He also said the Government intends to address shadow share markets operating outside regulated exchanges, emphasizing that the objective is legal regulation rather than permitting unlawful or harmful activities.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, I wish to clarify a point raised by the Opposition about definitions. The inclusion of “shipboard” casinos does not mean selective licensing or automatic approvals. Gambling today spans a vast technological spectrum. The Bill lists many covered activities. Licences will be granted only if suitable—considering economic, social, tourism impacts—and then strictly regulated. Nowhere does it say licences are to be issued indiscriminately.
¶ 02 Regarding shadow share markets operating outside regulated exchanges, we intend to act on those as well. The focus is regulation under law, not permitting unlawful or socially harmful activities.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Tuesday, 19 August 2025 ·No. 1755860432040633 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 19 August 2025. No. 1755860432040633. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/6657