The Goa government has given the green light to casinos in the state to restart operations that were closed since March when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in the country.
Announcing the decision, Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday that the decision was made in order to “promote tourism in the state.”
“Since November 1, we have given the casinos permission to start. They will have to follow all the SOPs that the Ministry of the Interior will give them and with 50% capacity they can start. We need to promote tourism activity, ”Sawant said.
The casinos, which contribute significantly to the state’s revenue, have been urging the government to allow a restart of operations, which they said would help boost tourist arrivals to the state and provide additional attraction to visiting tourists. the state.
Sawant also said that casino operators that previously paid their annual fees in one go can now do so on a monthly basis.
There are six offshore casinos in Goa, boats anchored on the Mandovi River that flows through the capital city. Other casinos are located within five-star hotels.
Not only is the 19-year-old industry a huge draw for thousands of tourists, it brings around ₹ 300 crore to the state coffers in license fees and around ₹ 90 crore per year as state GST.
From a deep-sea ship that began operating in 1999, the state today has six gambling boats that float within a one-kilometer stretch of the Mandovi. Industry insiders reveal that each venue used to generate a turnover of around Rs 120 crore per year and attracted 600-800 people per vessel, especially on weekends, before the lockdown threw a key on the works.
Casinos were closed earlier than other activities due to overcrowding indoors, which is a significant risk of spreading the coronavirus.
Since the industry has been closed since March, many staff members have returned home. Operators believe that they will not be able to restart just a few days in advance and that it will take a few weeks to be up and running.
.
