Amidst Rising Protests, Goa Government Clarifies ₹277.08 Crores Casino Fee Waiver is a Temporary Measure

The Goa government’s announcement early this week to waive the casino license fee appears for the period between April-October’ 2020 had sounded too good to be true to the industry. The waiver would have ended up costing the state exchequer ₹277.08 Crores as the state would have to forgo the fee for the seven months all casinos in the state were forced shut during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The casinos in the state reopened on November 1 after an over seven-month-long closure.

It looks like the celebrations were premature since the government has clarified that any waiver announced was only “temporary” pending a final decision reserved for a later date. Immediately after announcing the waiver, the government found itself at the receiving end of stiff opposition from the State Home Department and opposition parties, forcing it to retract its initial stance.

The State Home Department pointed out that the casino sector cannot be seen in isolation. If the government extends such relaxations, other sectors would also subsequently demand similar pro-rata waivers. The department in its noting stated – “If this request is considered in isolation, then the financial implications of the waiver would be Rs 175 crores (50 percent of the ARF due). If this request is considered in addition to that listed at para 10 (a), then the combined financial implications for the waiver would be Rs 277.08 crores.”

To silence the mounting political pressure, the government affirmed that any waiver of the licensee fee arrears from April to October would only be a temporary measure to allow the loss-ridden casino sector to get their feet back in the business.

Talking to media persons on Monday, CM Pramod Sawant clarified that the government would be taking the final decision on the same at a later date once the industry resumes operations in a full-fledged manner. “The 8 months fees will have to be paid after that. The government will take a decision later. Let the industry resume operations; we will take a decision later,” Sawant said.

However, like State Ports Minister Michael Lobo pointed out, the State Cabinet had only agreed to allow casinos to pay the fee on a monthly pro-rata basis. The waiver proposal was yet to be cleared by the State Cabinet. “The cabinet discussed the matter at length and has decided to keep the issue of waiver of fees from April 2020 to October 2020 pending. The operators have asked for a waiver, but it has not been cleared. The government may give the operators some time to pay,” said Lobo hinting that a deferred payment scheme could be in the works.

With most of the casinos back in business, the state department has also issued the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to be followed by the casino sector.

SOPs Released by the Goa Government

The casinos in Goa were permitted to open on November 1. Still, the state government took almost a week after that to release the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to be followed at these venues.

The SOPs were issued by Additional Home Secretary Amarsen Rane. He underlined: “The guidelines shall be strictly complied with by all casino licensees, and the same are in addition to the various instructions and guidelines (as part of) SOPs issued from time to time by other competent authorities.”

The primary directives include:

> Use of masks is mandatory for all casino visitors and employees

> Sanitisation of hands

> Mandatory sanitization of handbags, purses, and other items to be carried inside the premises.

> Casinos have to place a sufficient number of sanitizing dispensers at multiple spots and at gaming tables

> Licenses premises and tables, chairs, railings, slot machines, common areas, employee rooms, front and back offices, etc., should be regularly cleaned and disinfected.

> Appropriate social distancing to be maintained by limiting the numbers and spacing of chairs, playing stations.

> Reception and cashier areas should have floor signages to avoid crowding.

> Casinos to ensure contactless check-in and digital menus

Casinos Get Back to Business

There are six offshore casinos in Goa. As per the latest updates, all the floating casino vessels are back in business. While Casino’s Deltin Royale and Big Daddy resumed operations on November 1, Casino Pride waited a little longer for the official SOPs to be announced before reopening.

Some casinos like Big Daddy have already placed Plexi-dividers at the poker tables for additional player protection. Other measures like complete sanitization, 50% capacity, and adequate spacing are being put into place, as per confirmation from all the poker operators.

With the restrictions in place, the casinos’ footfalls will be much lesser than before. While a permanent waiver would come as a shot in the arm for the sector, in the wake of objections by the State Home machinery and other political parties, even a temporary breather would be welcome for the casino industry trying to pull out of these challenging times.