The Committee on Public Finance (COPF) have given the nod for the importation of casino machines, citing that the move will help the country to earn revenue in the form of taxes.

The government wanted a ramification. We looked into how it could help earn revenue. Therefore, we have approved it,” Member of COPF Ravi Karunanayake said.
“It is not our duty to assess the harmful effects of the move. We could only see how Casinos could help the government earn revenue. This is why the approval was given,” he added.

It was earlier reported that the government has decided to lift the ban on the importation of casino gaming equipment. This decision has been taken to allow the import of these equipment to currently registered tourism promotion institutions and tourist facilities.

Due to economic difficulties, the import of these equipment was banned in the past under the Casino Business Regulation Act No. 17 of 2010.

The casino business in Sri Lanka is regulated under the Betting and Gaming Levy Act No. 40 of 1988. The Casino Business (Regulation) Act No. 17 of 2010 introduced new provisions for the issuance and regulation of licences for casino activities. Although licences are required to be issued under this Act, the relevant regulations have not yet been fully implemented.

Recently, in 2025, the Government of Sri Lanka introduced a new bill titled “Gambling Regulatory Authority Act, No. of 2025” to establish a Gambling Regulatory Authority. This Act aims to regulate all gambling activities, including physical and online casinos. The main objectives here are to issue new licences, set regulatory standards, implement Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) laws, promote responsible gambling and prevent illegal activities. COPF Chairman Harsha de Silva has been highlighting the need for a Gambling Regulatory Authority and effective collection of casino licence fees.

(dailymirror.lk)

(This story, originally published by dailymirror.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

The External Degrees and Extension Courses Unit of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura (USJ) has announced that all seminars and registration activities of external degree programmes will be temporarily suspended from today (June 24).

The suspension is due to issues and ambiguities arising from University Grants Commission (UGC) circulars No. 932, 1/2016, and 4/2016, issued since 2010.

The university states that efforts are underway to resolve the matter, and academic activities will resume as soon as the issues are cleared.

The Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) are kept on standby for any requests by civil airlines for emergency landings, the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) has said.
The CAASL said the decision has been taken due to the current volatile situation in the Middle East region.

Several countries namely Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait closed their respective airspaces yesterday (June 23) following airstrikes by Iran targeting the Al Udeid US military base in Doha.

As a result, airlines were compelled to reroute flights.

5 SriLankan flights diverted

Meanwhile, 05 SriLankan Airlines flights were also diverted to Muscat (Oman), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and Dubai (UAE) on Sunday due to the prevailing situation.

The CAASL has said all precautionary measures will be taken to ensure the safety of Sri Lankans and other passengers using SriLankan Airlines.

BIA flights from 2 ME destinations halted

Meanwhile, BIA officials have also confirmed that Qatar Airways and Jazeera Airways flight operations between the BIA and 02 Middle Eastern destinations have been suspended as of 5.00 a.m. today (June 24).

The Officer-in-Charge of BIA has said that both Qatar Airways and Jazeera Airways, operating from the State of Kuwait, have temporarily halted their services.

Accordingly, flights from BIA to Doha in Qatar, and Kuwait City, Kuwait, have been suspended until further notice.