A view from inside the casino

A view from inside the casino

BHAIRAHAWA, NEPAL : Call it Tijuana in the Terai, literally right across the Indian border and out of this world.A circular driveway to the main entrance dazzles with reflected lights on the surface of the surrounding lagoon. This is where Bollywood starlets and BMW convertibles roll up the ramp onto the forecourt.Once you pass the two bouncers at the gates, gamblers can stake lakhs on blackjack tables or soak in the suspense of the spinning roulette wheel. With three distinct gaming zones, you can easily fritter away your paycheck on the sea of glitzy slot machines while young hostesses encourage you to make one more throw of the dice. And for seasoned high rollers, playboys and punters, the private VIP area above the main floor will seduce you to go all in and even spend up to a crore in one night — or so we’re told.And after you have gotten rid of it all, you can drown your sorrows in locally made 8848 Vodka or the finest Old Durbar blended scotch sitting at the long, narrow bar while watching Champions League football on a giant LED screen. And if minor Bollywood celebrities are your thing, then show up on May 12 for the Shamita Shetty night.But just in case you beat the house, there’s no need to fret in this election season – agents will happily help you convert your winnings into Indian currency for a small fee. Border checks have become tougher in the past month.Forget the Vegas strip, it’s time to place your bets in Bhairahawa , just a few kilometres from the Indo-Nepal border. All you need is to navigate the customs bureaucracy, dust, grime, touts, travel agents and lorries that ferry essential goods along National Highway 29 into the Mountain Kingdom.In the middle of nowhere, 12 km from the Indo-Nepal border point, Tiger Palace Resort , South Asia’s swankiest and biggest casino has sprung up, run by a little-known, Hong Kong-based and Australia-listed casino operator Silver Heritage Group . Nepal’s first border casino, it caters to the catchment areas of Delhi-National Capital Region, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal—about 430 million people within a six-hour drive of the property that has 100-plus luxury rooms and two villas.“This is Disneyland for us Gorakhpuris,” said an amiable sort who didn’t want us to use his real name. “Poorey UP, Bihar se log khelne aatey hain (Folk come here to gamble from all over UP and Bihar),” he said, nursing his second drink on a Wednesday afternoon. It took him 10 minutes to fritter away Rs 25,000 on the baccarat table.With more than 50 expertly appointed gaming tables featuring classics like blackjack and three-card poker plus Indian favourites flush or teen patti, the resort has become the favourite gateway for gents from the two Indian states. Such is the demand that the company, which operates casinos around Asia, is planning a similar outpost in Jhapa, Bihar, said employees.The company, in a recent regulatory filing, said the feedback from the VIP gaming rooms in Tiger Palace has been overwhelmingly positive and that it continues to see good traction. While Indians flock to the property, Chinese players dominate its Kathmandu hotspot. While it does not give exact annual revenue figures, information provided in March showed it was approaching 300 million Nepali rupees ($2.69 million).With the ongoing rise in the number of affluent Indians, Nepal — sandwiched between superpowers India and China, with a population of just 29 million — is increasingly being touted as the next Asian casino capital. That draws parallels with Macau’s rapid ascent to the summit, propelled by gambling-obsessed affluent Chinese.“We accept only Nepali cash or Rs 50, 100, 200 INR notes,” the receptionist told us as we checked in. “And no photography on the floor.”Several casinos have popped up across the border, taking advantage of the onerous regulations in India but none is as glamourous as Tiger Resort. Most of the smaller places have shut and some have switched to online gambling.“In this part, Tiger is raking in the moolah,” said Aranjit Singh, a manager at the Indo-Nepal Hotel, on the Indian side of the border.Naturally, “tour operators” like Vinod Chauhan, a self-proclaimed Samajwadi Party sympathiser from Kanpur, are organising bespoke tours for “entertainment-starved Indians,” whom he transports in carloads. “From cricket to elections, you can bet on anything you desire, even sitting at home. The cash will reach your chosen location anywhere in India.”You can place election bets online at his company’s website — “anything from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 crore” — and you will get a party-wise breakup. “BJP ka kya bhao, Congress ka kya, Gathbandhan kaise karega... sab kuch detail main hain website main. Aap nationally khel sakte ho yah toh state wise. (How are BJP, Congress, Gathbandhan doing — all details are available on our website. You can play nationally or state wise.)”Ironically, local laws bar Nepalis from gambling though it is a legitimate business to boost tourism in the country.For the operator, Nepal has not been a cakewalk. Project delays, disputes with local partners, suspension of trading on the Australian stock exchange, multiple resignations from its board of directors, alleged accounting irregularities and closure of a few properties have tripped up the company.