Goa’s airport to host casinos

Goa will open a second airport in Mopa, which will host casinos and hotels, as the state’s chief minister recently announced.

India.- The gaming industry has been in the spotlight in India as anti-gambling groups push against it. However, Goa’s new airport will host casinos and hotels, the state’s chief minister announced.

GMR and the Goa state government are developing the new Mopa airport and expect to complete Phase 1 by 2020.

Recent critics

Former Goa RSS chief Subhash Velingkar has accused the government of being too friendly with the casino industry. Velingkar is now demanding a white paper on the cost-benefit of the casino industry in Goa.

Velingkar issued on Monday a list of publicly articulated questions to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. He demanded a definite date for the move of the offshore casinos. He believes should be outside the state capital. “Successive BJP governments in Goa have cheated the people vis-a-vis its assurances that the casino industry in Goa would be shut down,” Velingkar said.

Offshore casinos’ relocation

The relocation of offshore casinos in Goa has been a subject that has haunted the local government for quite some time now. The authorities have granted multiple extensions in the last few years in hopes that in the meantime they would find a new site to relocate them. Late on Friday, the government told the state Legislative Assembly that it found a possible site.

Goa’s government said that it will examine the possibility of shifting the offshore casinos from River Mandovi to Aguada Bay. Ports Minister Michael Lobo said the possibility will be studied after conducting a survey of the location, Deccan Herald reported. Aguada Bay is located right where the Mandovi meets the sea outside Panaji.