UP Govt Discounts the Possibility of Goa-Like Casinos in the State

UP Govt discounts possibility of Goa Like casinos
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  • Namita Ghosh February 27, 2020
  • 2 Minutes Read

India’s small but growing casino industry is limited to the states of Goa and Sikkim, where the government has legally permitted casinos to operate. In addition to being major tourist attractions, the casinos also bring in significant tax revenue for the government. In recent years, several other states have considered opening their doors to casinos, but not much has come out of it.

Yet another state where the question of casinos being permitted recently cropped up was Uttar Pradesh. The state government has, however, categorically discounted all possibilities to allow casinos to operate in its boundaries.

On Wednesday, the issue was raised by the BJP MLA Harshvardhan Bajpai during the legislative assembly session. Bajpai had sought to know whether the state government would consider opening doors to casinos for boosting tax revenue and tourism.

MLA Harshvardhan Bajpai
MLA Harshvardhan Bajpai

 

Replying on behalf of the government, State Minister Satish Mahana asserted that the UP government was against gambling. “No, a casino is a certain type of gambling facility. By giving licences to casinos, it will become difficult to prevent gambling, betting and lotteries legally,” Mahana said.

State minister Satish Mahana
State minister Satish Mahana

 

He claimed that allowing casinos to operate in the state would encourage such activities and negatively impact peoples’ economic and moral condition. It would also, he stressed, affect law and order in the state.

Bajpai countered Mahana’s statement by arguing that gambling is rampant in the state during the IPL cricket season, and many people also head to Nepal to gamble. He pointed out that giving licenses for running casinos would instead generate revenue for the state where gambling activities are already being carried out illegally.

 

Casinos – Huge Potential For Tourism Growth

Uttar Pradesh is not the first state where the possibility of permitting casinos to operate legally has been considered. Back in 2012, the Deputy CM of Punjab,

Sukhbir Badal had directed the state’s infrastructure agency – Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) – to set up a Las Vegas strip-like casino at Mattewara village near Ludhiana. A PIDB team visited Goa to study and explore the possibility of allowing casinos and slot machines. The government was later forced to drop the plan after the move met with widespread criticism from the state’s political and religious quarters.

The union territory of Puducherry has also explored the possibility of permitting casinos. In 2016, the CM of Puducherry, V Narayanasamy, had announced that the government was planning to launch an offshore casino and a shipping channel to Chennai to improve revenue. As recently as December-end, the CM again reiterated that his government was looking at permitting casinos to boost tourism. Narayanasamy’s ambitious plans found a loud voice of opposition in Lieutenant Governor (LG) Kiran Bedi, who said that the government should keep gambling away from a spiritual place like Puducherry.

Last month, the government of Kerala also took a similar stand by refusing to permit casinos in the state.

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