Special Team to Inspect All Goa Casinos
A special team has been formed by the state government of Goa to inspect the carrying capacity of offshore casinos in the state as per the Goa Gambling Act. The mandate of th𒊎e special team also allows them to inspect onshore Star hotel casinos in Goa.
ꦕThe team has been constituted after the government suffered los🍬ses in revenue due to some offshore casino operators allegedly reporting false capacities of their vessels.
The special team will inspect Goa casinos for compliance to the condi🍸tions set under issuance of their licenses from the home department. The conditions under which operation licenses are issued to casinos ensure that the♍ provisions of Goa Gambling Act are upheld. An official of the Home department, as reported, said that with the required conditions.
The inspection team will be led by Under Secretary (Home). Its other members will include officers 𓂃from Commercial Taxes and Goa State Pollution Co☂ntrol Board, an Assistant Engineer (Public Works Department), and a police inspector of the concerned area.
This step seems imperative considering the fact that no Casino policy or regulatory mechanism has be🧜en set by Goan government, despite several promises made by the ꩵerstwhile and present Chief Ministers of Goa to make a suitable policy.
The casino industry in Goa has been around for over two decades. The state’s government has 🍎made several promises to shift offshore casinos to an alternative location and to enact a comprehensive policy for regulating casinos in the state.
In September 2019, offshore casinos were granted an extension of six month to operate in the River Mandovi till 31st March 2020, before which the state has contemplated notifying a long-term casino policy. However, considering that the state government has been dithering on introducing a casino policy and no substantial progress ha🌼s been made regarding the final contours of the policy, it is likely that the offshore casinos will get a few more ad hoc extensions to remain in the Mandovi River.
