Goa Congress asks for casino licence auction

Lawmakers called for new casino licences to be auctioned instead of giving permits to current off-shore venues’ operators.

India.- As off-shore casinos in the Mandovi river are set to move to land, Goa is set to issue new land-based gaming licences in the state. However, president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Girish Chodankar said the permits should be auctioned, instead of just allowing existing operators access to regular casinos.

“The licence should be auctioned, because that is the policy adopted across the country. Coal blocks, mining leases, 2G spectrum is auctioned, so why not auction casino licences too?” GPCC president Girish Chodankar asked.

“(The Goa Public Gambling Restriction Bill) which is in the offing is a big scam,” Chodankar said and explained that the state government was already losing €480-600 million due to lack of regulation and monitoring of casinos.

“There is 400k square-meters near Mopa Aiport which will serve as the designated gaming area. And the Mopa PDA will approve the projects. This is a scam. If the government auctions the land, they can get revenue,” Chodankar said.