Kathmandu -- When he decided to quit his job as a finance controller with a five-star hotel in Kathmandu to manage a casino in violence-wracked Sri Lanka, Rakesh Wadhwa's conservative family did its best to dissuade him.

But neither his family's resistance nor the armed war started in Sri Lanka by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) could deter the lanky, bespectacled young man with a passion for the theory of probability.

Now, two decades later, Wadhwa has every reason to regard his decision with satisfaction.

Besides two top casinos in Kathmandu, he has a third in Kyrgyzstan, three more in Goa and is poised to start an offshore cruising casino in the sunny Indian state thronged by tourists in search of sun and fun.

When summer peaks in India around May, this boy from Barrackpore town in India's West Bengal state, hopes to see the unveiling of the ultimate gaming paradise for people fond of a flutter and with pockets deep enough to indulge the fondness.

Casino Rio, a fast boat converted into a floating casino, will come up on river Sal in south Goa, adjoining the luxurious Leela Hotel - a partner in the venture.

It will be the second floating casino in Goa, after the Caravella started by the Ramada Hotel group became a trendsetter with several other hotel chains applying for licence.

Wadhwa, a bitter critic of the Indian government's policy not to allow casinos in the subcontinent, seized his chance when Goa decided to allow offshore casinos - a first in India - and electronic gaming on shore.

Working in tandem with the Leela, he started three electronic gaming stations in Goa - Casino Goldfinger, Treasures and Las Vegas. The new ventures mean shuttling between India and Nepal, where he says his abiding interest lies.

Wadhwa also runs two of Kathmandu's most popular casinos, Casino Everest and Casino Yak and Yeti, where gamers had an additional thrill four years ago when police arrested Charles Sobhraj, a household name in India in the 80s for his serial preying on young foreign tourists, from a gaming table.

Last year, Wadhwa's wife Shalini, a New Delhi girl whose passion is launching new magazines, decided to give her husband a run for his money and started a casino of her own - Casino Shangri-la.

In 2004, when business was in the doldrums in Nepal due to political turmoil, Wadhwa decided to look for fresh pastures and opened Casino Paradise on the premises of the deluxe Hotel Ak-Keme in Kyrgyzstan.

However, like the theory of probability, the casino business is also full of risks. Wadhwa spent four years in Colombo developing a rooftop casino at the Le Meridien only to have it shut down in 1991 by the then Sri Lankan president Premadassa who ordered the closure of all casinos.

The Yak and Yeti has seen a rough time with a tussle between Wadhwa and the group owning the chain of casinos in Nepal.

Still, the 49-year-old can't think of any other business but opening new casinos. His new dream is to start a new venture in London. "Las Vegas is too big but London is very cosy," he said.

With the Leela Group planning to acquire a hotel in the British city, he is keeping his fingers crossed that when it happens, he will hit the jackpot.