Casino concerns

CYPRUS’ association of private clubs and bars (PASIKA) said yesterday it supported the opening of casinos on the island but expressed the hope they would not adversely affect the smooth running of bars and clubs.

In a written statement the PASIKA’s general-secretary Phanos Leventis said the association’s official stance was to back the move but with strong reservations.

“We support the creation of casinos under the condition they will not affect clubs and bars’ business,” he said.

Leventis called on the government and the Cyprus Tourism Organisation to bear their concerns in mind and take their suggestions into consideration.

“We will not accept any more setbacks and will look at protecting our interests by any means possible,” he warned, without giving any details.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.