Cruise liners visiting Malta are now able to open their casinos after 6pm, in a bid to encourage them to make an overnight stay and possibly visit Gozo.
Parliamentary Secretary Jos'e Herrera told a press conference at the Valletta Waterfront that new gaming regulations for cruise liners entering Maltese waters have been rolled out through a subsidiary legislation.
He said cruise liners would need to pay a small fee starting from €500 to be able to open their casinos. However no fee would apply if they call at Gozo.
In order to safeguard the local casino industry only registered passengers will be allowed to enter the cruise liner casinos.
He added that this arrangement only existed in few other countries and so this measure had the potential to boost the cruise liner industry.