Casino Loutraki shut down over Greek tax confusion

Greek gaming regulators have shut down the Club Hotel Casino Loutraki, strongly suggesting that the government isn’t taking a recent court defeat as the final word on the subject.

On Monday, the Greek Gaming Commission ordered Casino Loutraki to close its doors to the public after the casino’s operator failed to remit a €250k gambling revenue tax payment. The casino is required to pay 35% tax on each day’s gaming revenue, but no payments have been made since the month began.

Local media outlet Parapolitika reported that the casino was under the impression that the €44m tax refund (€36m plus interest) the casino was awarded last month by the Tripoli Administrative Court of Appeal negated the casino’s requirement to maintain its usual tax payment schedule, at least until the government actually paid its bill.

Not so, said Gaming Commission chair Evangelos Karagrigorou, who claimed that it was not the Commission’s responsibility to “make the set-off required by the casino.” Karagrigorou also noted that court decisions on tax refund court decisions aren’t final until two months after the ruling is issued, and the government is reportedly planning to appeal the ruling.