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For anyone thinking a 35-year-old rapper might be pro-gambling, Nepal’s new Prime Minister has debunked that view after his government banned all online betting apps and websites.
Balendra Shah, the ex-mayor of Kathmandu whose Nepali hits are listed on Spotify under Balen, was elected Prime Minister on March 5 on the back of a 100-point policy reform agenda.
The agenda included promises of greater government transparency and a ban on gambling. On Friday, Shah was sworn in as PM and his new regime didn’t waste time putting some of its pre-election pledges into action on Sunday via a directive from Nepal’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MoCIT).
immediately close [all] betting apps and websites, including any electronic betting”
MoCIT ordered the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) to “immediately close [all] betting apps and websites, including any electronic betting” within 24 hours. The NTA, in turn, worked with Internet Service Providers (ISP)s to block access to Nepalese seeking to access the blacklisted platforms.
Shah’s landslide win over KP Sharma Oli also had its repercussions, as the rapper’s controversial rival was arrested on Saturday for allegedly authorizing that deadly force be used during public demonstrations in Nepal last year.
All forms of gambling are now illegal in Nepal. Despite the ban, Nepal fears the rise in popularity of online betting and its financial and social risks, “especially among young users.”
Along with its latest directive banning iGaming, the MoCIT has pledged to take “strict action … against anyone who uses or operates betting apps and websites unauthorisedly” with penalties including prison terms of three to 12 months, and fines of Rs30,000 ($300).
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