New gaming commissioner to be selected
Casinos in the Indian state of Goa must abide by a ban on locals gaming first established five years ago. According to the Times of India, the Goa government has approved draft gaming regulations that would require enforcement of the 2012 Prevention of Gambling Act, which originally instituted the ban. The changes must now be approved by the home minister, then sent to the cabinet for signoff.
A new gaming commissioner, yet to be selected, will provide increased oversight of the industry and “be tasked with uncovering any efforts by casinos to disguise their true gaming revenue with the intent of reducing their tax obligations,” reported CalvinAyre.com.
In July, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar announced the fleet of five floating casinos, now operating on the River Mandovi, must move onshore within three years. Though the edict has been delivered, there are no plans in place to make it happen.
Goa’s newest floating casino, Golden Globe Hotels’ MV Lucky 7, remains stranded on a Miramar Beach sandbar, where it got stuck in July on the way to its anchorage in the waters of the Mandovi. The Goa State Pollution Control Board recently ordered Golden Globe to pay Rs 10 million (US$156,000) to cover environmental damage caused by the vessel.
It is the second such order; the first went unanswered.
