Goa: Only tourists allowed to casinos

Goa has been enforcing stringent rules to better the environment and appearance of its society.

In July, it was announced that Goa would be banning liquor at beaches. Now, it has been announced that only tourists will be allowed to enter casinos in Goa.

This law has been put in place in response to the constant demands of civil society organizations and opposition.

These people have been asking to curb the gambling habits among the people of Goa.

Manohar Parrikar, the Chief Minister of Goa, announced on August 3rd that locals will no longer be allowed to enter casinos in Goa.

This new law will be in effect from January of 2019.

The state had been criticized for encouraging gambling in their casinos and spoiling the social environment of Goa.

A mechanism for this law will come about once the appropriate rules for the legislation are formulated and the gaming commissioner is appointed. Both fresh offshore casinos and existing offshore casinos will bar the locals from entering them.

These casinos float in the Mandovi River off of Panaji, the capital of Goa. The existing offshore casinos will be moved out of the designated game zone, which means that no offshore casinos will allow locals to enter.

However, this restrictive law may not prove to be entirely beneficial. The business of casino owners could plummet by 50%, due to the locals being barred from their casinos. It might also be difficult for the authorities to distinguish a local from a tourist.

A proper guideline could require casino-goers to have certain official documents in order to enter. However, local casino-goers might start forging fake documents in order to pass through the doors.

Therefore, it remains to be seen if this law will actually discourage the people of Goa from gambling, or if it will make them more determined to do so instead.

Image credit: Image by aakka aakka from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/it/photos/india-natura-goa-beach-3882103/