An isolated island nation says  it will legalise casino gambling by the end of this year — even though the average wage is less than £650 A YEAR.

Cape Verde — lying in the Atlantic 310 miles off Africa’s west — currently has no gambling laws but no organised gambling sector either.

The former Portuguese colony depends on farming and mining to pay the bills, as well as service industries such as off-shore banking — much of it aimed at Portugal. 

While it has plans to encourage tourism, poor transport links and regular, severe droughts have made this difficult so far. The most recent official figures put the average wealth of Cape Verdeans at just $1,400.

Bridge

However, economy chief Humberto Brito told a meeting in Macau: “We are working and we hope that the legislative change will be concluded and in place by the end of the year.”

Brito, secretary of state for the economy, was attending a seminar on Macau’s role as a bridge between China and other Portuguese-speaking countries.

The Special Administrative Area is the only part of China where land gambling is legal, earning it the title the Las Vegas of Asia.

If gambling does get the green light in Cape Verde, it may be with a eye to ONLINE CASINOS aimed at Portugal where gambling is currently controlled by a restrictive state monopoly.