A $400 million project by Australian casino mogul James Packer and a $650 million complex by local conglomerate John Keels holdings received approval from Sri Lanka's Parliament this evening as gazette notifications on the two mega projects passed with a resounding majority. 

Gazette Notification two under the Strategic Development Act was passed in Parliament with 112 members voting in favour of the legislation while 44 voted against it. Gazette Notification three was also passed in the house with 109 members voting in favour of it. The number who voted against the regulation remained the same. 

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The voting pattern saw no major difference from yesterday. While Athiraliye Rathana Thera voted against the gazette notifications, other constituent parties of the government, such as Jathika Nidahas Peramuna and SLMC, skipped the vote. 

Opposition parties such as the UNP, DNA and TNA voted against the act, However, a notable number of government Parliamentarians were absent in Parliament when the vote was taken.

However, the members of the government, who spoke on behalf of the act in Parliament, said new regulations will not lead to setting up of new casinos in Colombo. However, the Strategic Development  Act contains phrases such as “mixed development projects” and “associated facilities” which, according to the opposition, will promote Casinos and grant tax holidays for such projects.