Goa considers banning entry of locals in casinos

The government of Goa is considering banning the entry of locals in casinos, but they would not shut down the facilities.

India.- Goa Chief Minister Manchar Parrikar has been considering banning locals from entering casinos for quite some time now. The official said that even if they do it, they wouldn’t shut down casinos because companies have invested in them.

Parrikar told DD News that he strictly believes that gambling isn’t good, and that if they can, they should remove it from the state. “It is human nature to gamble that is why we cannot eradicate it completely, but definitely we cannot encourage it. That is why we had decided on a policy to ban Goans from going to casinos. Lot has been done about it and in the days to come there will be complete ban on locals going to casinos,” he added.

He also confirmed that they will relocate off shore casinos from River Mandovi to a different location. The government decided last month to extend the deadline from April 1 to September 30. In April 2016 the deadline was modified and it was supposed to end in March 31. The government received petitions through the course of the last few months from employees who asked to stop the relocation as they would lose their jobs or even be forced to travel multiple hours to cover their shifts. The decision to extend the deadline deepens the differences between the ruling party and the opposition.

The decision to ban casinos would certainly have a huge impact on the city as bars, clubs and casinos would suffer from it. Moreover, the Supreme Court also banned the liquor sale in the state. Parrikar is confident that the state won’t face any financial crisis.