Document #1213790
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
The text of Mongolia's Law on Casinos could not be obtained by the Research Directorate within time constraints. However, on 22 January 1999, Mongolia's parliament repealed that country's 15 January 1998 Law on Casinos, which had legalized casinos in Mongolia (Lottery Insider 1 Feb. 1999; Dawn 1999; Mongol Messenger n.d.). A Mongolian-Macau joint venture, MonMacau, had received a licence to operate a casino for 10 years in Ulan Bator, after it won a government tender in July 1998 (Lottery Insider 1 Feb. 1999; Mongol Messenger n.d.). MonMacau was scheduled to open a casino in the Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan) hotel on 18 February 1999 (ibid.). Another company, Casinos Mongolia, had previously operated a casino in the hotel for one year, lost its licence after its one-year lease expired and MonMacau won a "sealed bid auction" to operate the casino (ibid.; Irish Times 7 Nov. 1998).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Dawn. 1999 (#16). "Mongolia:
Parliament Heeds Christians, Bans Gambling." http://www.jesus.org.uk/dawn/1999/dawn9916.html
[Accessed 2 Nov. 2000]
Irish Times [Dublin]. 7
November 1998. Conor O'Clery. "Dark Side of Mongolia." (NEXIS)
Lottery Insider. 1 February
1999. Vol. 6, No. 7. "Foreign Bets Off as Mongolia Scraps Casino
Law." http://www.lotteryinsider.com/vol6/no7.htm
[Accessed 2 Nov. 2000].
Mongol Messenger. n.d. "Casino
Industry Threatened by Concerned MP's." http://www.mol.mn/montsame/messenger.htm
[Accessed 2 Nov. 2000]
Additional Sources Consulted
Internet sites including:
Foreign Investment and Foreign Trade
Agency of Mongolia
Parliament of Mongolia
Letters to the Mongolian Consulate in
Toronto and the Parliament of Mongolia.