Around 3,000 casino workers could be fired in the following months, according to Jorge Hidalgo, Vicepresident of Costa Rica Casino Association, who commented that the cutback would be held due to the new regulations fixed by the government for this activity, through four decrees and a guidelines.

They remark the prohibition to give away alcoholic beverages. They have to operate in hotels with at least 60 rooms and they do not have to have access to the street, for example. However, the rule that worries the most casino owners is the reduction of the schedule limit in the operation. It will pass from 24 to eight hours, because they will just be able to open the doors from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Such regulation, according to Hidalgo, would generate the massive dismissal of employees, because there are 48 casinos in Costa Rica. Hidalgo assured that the timetable set by the government is drastic, and commented that the Casino Association would support the elimination of the morning shift, from 6 a.m. until midday.

The decree will come into force in the following days, once it is published in La Gaceta newspaper. Centers will have six-month period to comply with the new requirements.

Hidalgo commented that, after the publication of the decree, they will analyze it to propose the government a series of changes. “So far, we do not have more information than what appears in the media, but we do not give up; there are things pending, which need to be revised”, he pointed. In spite of the controversy, the government maintains its position, because it assures it does not want to encourage this activity.