CPP Takes U-Turn on Renewing Trade Licenses For Casinos; Goa Health Minister to Ensure Precautions in Casinos For Coronavirus

For the past few weeks, we have been fraught with the news regarding the unprecedented spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). India confirmed its first death link to the infection earlier today and the present number of positive cases in the country stands at 81.

With live poker tournaments being canceled and postponed globally, PokerBaazi too had to move the final tables of two of its PPL events online after players raised concerns regarding traveling to Goa. In the same vein, even the Strategic Platform for iGaming Conference and Exhibition (SPiCE) India 2020 that was slated to be held from March 25 to 27 in Goa has been postponed.

However, there is a sliver of good news in such drastic times. The Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) Mayor Uday Madkaikar on March 11 said that the corporation would meet sometime before March 31 to determine whether or not trade licenses of offshore casino vessels will be renewed.

Back in August 2019, the CCP had declared that it would not be renewing the trade licenses of offshore casinos from 2020 onwards. Madkaikar had said that CCP corporators would pass a resolution to not renew the trade license of any of the offshore casinos. “I spoke to the MLA (Atanasio Monserrate), and we took a decision that CCP will not renew their licenses when they come up for renewal next. They will not be able to do business here. They will have to shift their business operations and will have to automatically move their entry point out of Panaji,” he had stated.

In view of the CCP’s statement from last year, their decision to even consider re-evaluating their declaration is a complete U-turn from the previous stance. Explaining the reason behind this decision, Madkaikar said that several traders in the city have approached the corporation with the request to allow casinos to operate, as it is the only source of business during the late evening.

The Mayor further elaborated that the decision not to renew the trade licenses of offshore casinos were “in principle” in nature and it needs to be ratified before implementation. He further revealed that the corporation will also be seeking legal opinion before coming to a decision in this matter.

While this may be viewed a bit of relief for the offshore casinos, the looming threat of the Coronavirus spread is weighing down on the state’s Health Minister Vishwajit Rane. On March 12, the minister said that he would be writing to the owner and management of casinos to ensure precautions in the backdrop of the global coronavirus outbreak.

“The rules that apply to all will be applicable to them (casinos). The airports already have started showing a decrease of tourists. But since many people come to casinos, I will be personally writing to them to ensure hygiene practices are put in place. As a government, we cannot directly stop people from coming, but indirectly we can hint to them,” he said.

Goa’s economy is heavily dependent on its tourism industry and casinos are a big part of that domain. Due to the high level of contact between people in casinos, the industry is expected to be severely hit by the outbreak. Delta Corp, India`s only listed gambling company, took a drubbing at the stock exchange today with the scrip closing almost 5% lower at 91.50.

Regarding the safety of tourists who are visiting the coastal and the domiciles who reside there, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said, “Precautions are in place at Goa airport and we are ensuring that all guidelines are followed. In that sense, we are ensuring quarantines are in place. We will be ensuring we look into casinos and ensure the rules are followed.”

Notably, no restrictions have been placed on casinos as of now.