Ecuador’s administration is hell bent on closing the country’s casinos, whether they are legally authorized, operating under a judicial finding, or totally illegal. President Rafael Correa is planning to use reforms to the country’s Criminal Law to make delinquent legal casino operations, 12 months after the approval of amendments to article 313 of the country’s Criminal Law. This would set punitive action to anyone who runs or promotes “prohibited house or table games without permit from the authorities”.

Last July, the Criminal Law reform presented to the National assembly contained legislation to imprison for 2-4 years in addition to large fines for anyone involved in running a gaming business with “machines and other devices that enable the general public to use in exchange for probable payment of prize as consequence of play”.

At close of press there were almost no comments from legal casino operators from Ecuador, but it was amusing to listen to the soft pencil sharpening from constitutional lawyers, legislators, paralegal, lobbyists and charlatans getting ready to embark on a to the death fight against what would be a gross constitutional breach by the Ministry of Tourism of Ecuador against legally authorized casinos. (E-08.19.10)

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