In the city of Santa Marta -Colombia- there was a great void and confusion regarding the plan of territorial ordering which left misunderstandings for the interpretation of the operation of the casinos.
However, recently a meeting between the 24 operators of casinos in the area along with authorities such as Francisco García planning secretary allowed the understanding of this void that had previously, and even the creation of a new rule that seeks to protect society of Santa Marta.
Although the new measure established by the Mayor's office directly affected several of the casinos, the majority accepted the recommendations and committed to comply with them in order to offer a service in accordance with the legal framework that governs them in Santa Marta.
This new measure seeks that the casinos "not work close to educational institutions and do not sell liquor in the establishment" said Francisco García.
Thus, the standard seeks to avoid the presence of students in these types of establishments and to reduce in the same way the occurrence of fights and other situations of public order. Only four of the 23 casinos that are in operation fail to comply with the requirements of this rule, so they must close their doors permanently or move to another area of the city.
The Secretary of Planning gave a period of one year for this type of business to comply with the local norm and can receive the renewal of the contract with Coljuegos that allows them to continue working.
"We will follow up on the requirements we have with the owners, if in March of 2019 they continue in the same circumstances we will proceed to close the casino definitively," said Francisco García.
