New law mulls land-based gaming houses

NT NETWORK

 

PANAJI

The state government is considering bringing in a new legislation which will restrict authorised gaming houses to designated land areas and five-star hotels.  The proposed law aims to provide immediate relief from the inconvenience of casino operations in the river and restrict gaming to tourists only.

The government intends to repeal the Goa, Daman and Diu Public Gambling Act, 1976 and enact the Goa public gambling (restriction) bill.

Reliable sources said the abovementioned ideas are the kernel of the proposed legislation as ideated by

 

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

However, the proposal has not yet been formally discussed or moved by the home department.

The sources said that Parrikar is seized of the matter as regards the drafting of a new casino policy.

The particular proposal is being hammered out by a legal expert, who is close to Parrikar.

The proposal talks about shifting offshore casinos from the Mandovi to designated land areas for keeping common gaming houses in Goa.

The statement of objects and reasons of the said ‘raw draft’ states that the Goa, Daman and Diu Public Gaming Act, 1976 was enacted with the objective to punish public gambling but to keep common gaming houses in Goa.

It further adds that the 1976 legislation was subsequently amended to permit the government to authorise limited gaming in five-star hotels and on vessels in Goa, and as a result today the gaming has been allowed in vessels and five-star hotels only.

Various amendments were made to the Goa Daman and Diu Public Gaming Act, 1976 over the years to balance the economic benefits with the need to more stringently regulate gaming including amendments to restrict gaming to tourists only and to appoint gaming commissioner to regulate it.

However, some of these amendments remain to be brought into force. Furthermore, the operation of gaming vessels in the Mandovi, while bringing jobs and economic benefits, has caused inconvenience to the general public and also raised various environmental concerns.

The said proposal states that the government intends to repeal the Goa Daman and Diu Public Gaming Act, 1976 and enact the Goa public gambling (restriction) bill.

The proposed legislation aims at reviving, consolidating and updating existing legislation for preventing gambling, prohibiting and punishing gaming and keeping common gaming houses in Goa except to the limited extent specifically authorised, and also to restrict authorised gaming houses to designated land areas and to five-star hotels only.

The new law wants to allow better monitoring and regulation, provide  immediate relief from the inconvenience of casino  operations in the river, restrict  gaming to tourists only, appoint gaming commissioner to monitor and regulate the authorised gaming houses in Goa.

The proposed legislation wants to authorise the government to restrict the number of gaming house licences and impose appropriate fee and prescribe appropriate terms and conditions to the grant of such licences.

The proposed law wants to continue with economic benefits to the state while minimising adverse effects on Goans.