Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has yet again promised to set up a Gaming Commission to regulate the casino industry in the State. Addressing the State legislative Assembly, Parrikar who last year introduced a Government Bill, which was later passed for setting up the same has now said that the rules are being framed and they will soon be notified once finalised.
The Commission is expected to be on the lines of the Nevada Gaming Commission (which controls the gambling in las Vegas) and will regulate the State’s hitherto almost autonomous casino industry including the percentage the casinos make out of gamblers besides also ensuring a grievance redressal mechanism.
The Chief Minister in his written reply also said that an undertaking has also been obtained from the offshore casino operators to move the boats out of the Mandovi river by 2015. Moving the casinos out of the River Mandovi facing the capital Panaji has been a contentious issue with Parrikar being cornered by the Opposition as well as civil society of his refusal to have them moved out despite he himself demanding it as a leader of Opposition.
The Parrikar-led Goa Government has committed to coming out with a policy on casinos in Goa, which currently is the only state in India to permit live gambling. The state has five offshore casinos and nearly a dozen onshore casinos which operate out the numerous five star resorts which dot the coastline.