Goa govt notifies onshore casino license fee hike

The Goa government has notified revised license fees for onshore casinos to implement the hike in fees that were announced in the budg🌳et earlier this year. As per the notification, a casino having space upto 100 square metres will have to pay an annual license fee of Rs. 3🦂.50 crores, while a casino h🦂aving space between 500-750 square metres will have to pay annual fees to the tune of Rs. 6.50 crores.

Additionally, the government has introduced two new categories casinos, wherein casinos with gaming space of over 750 square metres will have to pay higher recurring fees. Casinos having space between 750-1,000 square metres have to pay license fees to the tune of Rs. 8 crores per annum, while those having floor space of over 1,000 square metres will have to pay fees of Rs. 8.50 crores per annum. As per earlier provisions of the budget, these casinos would have had to pay Rs. 6.50 c🌳rores annually.

The avowed purpose of this notification is to 🌳 to single diꦚgits as per government sources.

In other related developments, the , taking the 💮number of active offshore casinos to five. Additionally, the government has indicated to the Bombay High Court (Goa bench) that it is not averse to renewing the license M/s Golden Globe Hotels Pvt Ltd provided that it . The aforementioned casino linked to former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda, was not operational due to financial crises and internal problems faced by the company.

The Goa government has faced massive resistance from civil society groups and political parties against the decision ܫto revive the two offshore casinos. However, Chiefౠ Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has steadfastly maintained that no new offshore casinos will be permitted and that the two casino licenses would be renewed only on technical grounds.

If the Goa government agrees to renew the license of Golden Glo𝓡be Hotels, the total number of offshore casinos in the state will rise to six.