Goa residents barred from casino gambling

The Goa casino industry remains in the spotlight and seems to now be out of bounds for locals as the government announced plans to ban them.

India.- The Indian state of Goa continues to target the casino industry. While casino locations were a major concern, there’s a new hot topic in the area. The state government announced plans to ban residents from entering casino floors. However, the authorities didn’t set any timeline for the implementation of such a controversial measure.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told the Legislative Assembly that the government will fix a date to enforce the prohibition. After that, no Goa residents will be allowed in any casino — not the six offshore venues nor the eight land-based operations.

“I am of the opinion that Goans should not be allowed in casinos. The Goa Gambling Policy makes it clear that casinos are allowed only for tourism purpose and not for Goans to visit,” Sawant said. 

“We have to sit and fix a date after which Goans will not be allowed to enter casinos. They would be barred from entering offshore and onshore casinos,” he assured.

Goa casino relocation

The relocation of offshore casinos in Goa has been a subject that has troubled 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. Recently, 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.