SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
PANJIM, APRIL 5
In all probability, Goa will gamble online soon as nine parties have responded to Goa Government’s efforts to start an online lottery.
Officials of the Department of Lotteries declined to furnish any details on the tender papers submitted to bid for the online lottery system.
However, sources stated that nine firms have sent in their bids, the last date for which was today. The tenders will be opened later this month, the sources said.
The online lottery system was seen as a good option to generate revenue for the State which has seen higher spending in the last few years.
The Government expects an annual revenue of Rs 22-25 crore from it, the sources said.
This time, the tender document was made more attractive and its clauses were different from the one floated more than two years ago.
That time, the sources said, the government had offered the contract to operate the lottery to a private company against a one-time payment of Rs 25 crore. In addition, it had sought a share from the lottery income. This was found too much for investors to fetch revenue and it never materialized as not a single applicant applied.
This time, the private company will be allowed to open centres to run the online lottery.
