Casino boats to ship out soon
A rule that bans liquor sales within 500 meters of national and state highways in Goa does not currently apply to the Indian state’s offshore casinos because they are already located 800 meters from shore. But the opposition Congress has vowed to let the licenses expire if it wins the state election March 11.
“Once we form the government, I assure you we will not renew the excise licenses of the offshore casino vessels once they expire on March 31,” said AICC Secretary Girish Chodankar.
A fleet of offshore casinos on the Mandovi River have provided great fodder for politicians running for office in Goa. The Congress Party recently attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for failing to uphold its campaign pledge to do away with casinos, both on land and in the Mandovi River.
Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar replied that offshore casinos were licensed in 2007, when the Congress Party was in power. Asked why the BJP has not do away with casino boats on the Mandovi, as it promised in 2012, Parrikar said, “The government decided to move them from Mandovi. But the solution to where to place them was not found. Once this solution arrives, we will be able to move them from Mandovi.”
The BJP has also said lost revenue from a ban on mining forced the government to allow casinos to remain.
The opposition promises to ban them outright, according to the Asia Gaming Brief. “The Congress party will take appropriate legal remedies to insulate its decision to ban the sale of liquor on offshore casinos from any legal implications. We will have to make sure that the casino operators don’t challenge our decision in the court,” Chodankar said.
The BJP’s newest deadline to order the ships out is March 31. But the current government has yet to identify a site for their relocation, reported the Herald Goa.
