Taipei – The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) said it is still some way from making a final decision on whether to allow the establishment of casinos, as the issue is still being studied.

No decision has been made yet either in relation to the number of permits, locations and the amount of charter fees, the CEPD said in a statement made in response to local reports that the government plans to issue three casino permits in a bid to help promote tourism.

The maximum charter period has been set at 20 years, with operators required to pay a fee equivalent to 40 pct of their revenue, according to the reports.

The stake to be taken by foreign investors in any such venture will be capped at 60 pct, they said.

The CEPD is due to come up with a final version of the statute governing casino operations in October, its chairwoman Ho Mei-yueh was quoted as saying in a Commercial Times report.