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Mideast Turmoil Silences Palestinian Gambling Hall10 October 2000JERICHO, PALESTINE – Oct. 10, 2000 – As reported by The Florida St. Petersburg Times: "Despite the Israeli-Palestinian strife that has killed dozens and wounded hundreds more, the Oasis Casino here is open for business. But it's hardly a case of letting the good times roll. "…Opened two years ago, the casino typically draws thousands of Israelis, who are banned from gambling in their own country. But since fighting erupted Sept. 28, soldiers have stopped Israeli citizens from coming into Jericho and other volatile Palestinian areas of the West Bank. "…`Tourism is really the blood of the Palestinian economy,' says Amir Dajani, operations manager for the year-old Sultan Tourist Center in Jericho. As a result of the latest trouble, `We will probably realize a serious setback that will discourage future investment in Palestine.' "…The biggest economic fallout from the violence and road closings appears to have been at the the Oasis Casino and adjacent Inter-Continental hotel. "The casino opened in 1998 over the objections of many Muslims, who cited Islam's ban against gambling. Although Palestinians are not allowed to wager in it, the casino has drawn so many people from Israel and other countries that it accounts for an estimated 30 percent of the revenues of the Palestinian Authority, the governing body of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "A few months ago, the luxurious, 181-room Inter-Continental opened next door, providing an incentive for high-rollers to stick around and pump up revenues even further…" |