Draft Rules to Ban Entry of Locals in Casinos Under Review, Says Goa CM Pramod Sawant

Casinos form an intrinsic part of Goa’s economy and are a significant attraction for domestic and international tourists. As these casinos struggle to survive after a debilitating year of losses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, recent political debates have brought to the fore the topic of banning locals’ entry inside casinos.

Responding to the questions raised by Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar in the state legislative assembly last Thursday, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant underlined that the Goa Gambling Act governing casinos would need an amendment to facilitate the ban on locals.

Casinos were a hot topic of discussion at the assembly as CM Sawant was hit by a volley of questions by MLA Gaonkar, MLA’s Atanasio Monserrate, and Luizinho Faleiro as well.

Clarifying the government’s stance on offshore casinos, the Goa CM pointed out that the state home department has permitted offshore casinos to operate from River Mandovi till March 31, 2021, or until the government notifies an alternate site. He also specified that the Captain of Ports (CoP) was exploring possible alternate locations for the four offshore casinos, and one passenger vessel moored on Mandovi. The CoP has already recommended several sites within the jurisdiction of the inland waterways of Goa, Rivers Zuari, and Chapora, he revealed.

Banning Locals – the Right Move?

CM Pramod Sawant also divulged that casinos had contributed ₹1,277.29 Crores to the government coffers between 2012 to January 20, 2021, making clear the significant role they play in the state’s economic growth.

If you look at the footfalls inside casinos, local guests form, if not a major, a substantial part of the turnout. Political factions may disagree, but casinos have become a part of Goa’s culture and continue to attract locals. The casinos also support the state economy both in terms of revenue and livelihood generated for Goa-residents. So why ban locals?

The coastal state has historically witnessed a highly volatile political environment. Be it Congress or the currently in-power BJP, nearly all the major parties of the state have decried at some point that casinos are “spoiling the Goan culture.”

Late CM Manohar Parrikar had inked the ban as part of a yet to be notified draft Casino Policy that, among many things, also lists the shifting of the offshore casinos to land near the Mopa airport complex.

In January last year, Parrikar’s successor Pramod Sawant had announced that Goa locals would be banned from entering casinos starting February 1, declaring that the Commercial Tax Commissioner would act at the state’s Gaming Commissioner to enforce the ban. The move evoked opposition from various political bigwigs, including State Ports Minister Michael Lobo and Congress president Girish Chodankar, the latter alleging that the Gaming Commissioner’s appointment was a sham. The ban never came into effect.

The casino sector is yet to overcome the debilitating losses they suffered during the seven-month-long COVID-19 led lockdown. Closed since March 2020, the casinos were allowed to reopen only on November 1. Even though the state government offered them some relief by extending the permission to operate from Mandovi for another six months (October 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021), the government refused to grant them a permanent waiver on the license fee to the tune of ₹277.08 Crores for the lockdown period.

Given the circumstances, any ban on locals will only add further burden on the casino operators. The government had rightly put the Casino Policy and notification of the Goa Public Gambling Act (Amendment) 2012 in abeyance during the lockdown. CM Sawant had then clarified that he would approve the notification only after carefully reviewing the concerned rules.

While CM Sawant’s recent statements may turn out to be mere rhetoric, it remains to be seen if and when this ban gets implemented!