Goa Casinos in dilemma over sea gamble

  The decision of the government to shunt out the casinos in the deep sea and out of city limits has put the owners of the casinos in a dilemma while some organizations have called for a complete ban on casinos in Goa.

There are fears within the Casino lobby that if the ships go about five miles out into the sea, the chances of the industry dying out was very much on the cards. There is another school of thought that the prospect of travelling into the deep sea through small boats might be frightening for the customers, especially at night.

Meanwhile an NGO called " Aam Aadmi and Aurat against gambling(AAAG)" seems to have sprung up with Ms Sabina Martins its convenor warning the government against adding to the number of casinos in Goa and described the decision to shift the casinos off the coastline as a "smokescreen" only to help the proliferation of more casinos and make more money.

Terming the whole exercise of moving casinos in the sea as an eyewash, the AAAG asserted that gambling in city limits would continue despite the move and casinos would venture into the city under the pretext of refuelling and repairs. Claiming that gambling was ruining people in Goa by making them gambling addicts who would then be a threat to society, Ms Martins said that casinos will have to go out of goa whether onshore or offshore.

The AAAG pointed out to the vicious circle where the economy of Goa was working towards destroying families for which money is subsequently expected to be allocated under the garb of social welfare.The casino industry in Goa is estimated to be employing around 2200 people from Goa while remitting around 75 crore to the state exchequer.

The AAAG therefore demanded a complete rescinding of the casino amendment and indicated that it would intensify its efforts to expose all irregularities regarding casinos.