The Ministry of Justice is yet to receive any bill or amendment to existing laws from the Ministry of Finance to establish a regulatory body for gaming and online casinos, Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara told The Sunday Morning.

The parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (COPF) had repeatedly requested the establishment of a regulator for the gaming industry, citing loss of tax revenue from the gaming industry and online gaming sites over the past few years. 

The previous Government under President Ranil Wickremesinghe had pledged to establish such an authority, but had failed to do so by the end of its tenure.

The COPF, during its meeting on Tuesday (18), had also raised concerns over the proposed increase in the income tax rate for the betting, gaming, tobacco, and liquor industries from 40% to 45%, highlighting the ministry’s failure to establish a casino regulatory body. 

Additionally, COPF Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva also expressed dissatisfaction with the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) for not providing the requested data on casino revenue over the past five years.

Attempts to contact Deputy Ministers Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando and Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Ministry of Finance Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana, and officials of the IRD for comment proved futile.