In a bid to curtail the entry for Goans at casinos (both off-shore and on-shore), the state government will make it mandatory to have identity cards for entry.
“Just like hotels do not provide rooms if there is no identity card, a person entering a casino would also be not allowed if he does not possess an identification document”, said Additional Secretary Home, Sanjiv Gadkar while speaking to Herald. He said that the rules for casinos have been framed and have to be sent to the law department for vetting. “Besides the mandatory PAN Card for transactions in the casinos, visitors would also have to have a proper id which has address proof and birth date.”
Giving details of the draft rules, Gadkar said there is also provision for the arrest of any Goan found gambling at casinos in the state. According to him, the draft rules have already been in-principle approved by the state government.
“Once the law department approves the file, it will be sent for cabinet approval,” he asserted.
No monitoring right now
Gadkar said there is no monitoring on the casinos as of now and the taxes are charged on account of overall checking of entry ticket, sales tax, number of liquor bottles utilized and food and beverage. He agreed there may be evasion of taxes by casino owners but there is no monitoring as of now.
“Once the rules come into force, everything would be accounted for,” he added.
Gaming Commissioner
In 2012, the then chief minister and present Defence Minister of the country, Manohar Parrikar had assured the assembly that he would soon frame the rules and form a Gaming Commission. Sources said the Gambling Commission is expected to be fashioned on the lines of the Nevada Gaming Commission (which controls gambling in Las Vegas) and will regulate the casino industry, including the percentage the casinos make out of gamblers, besides ensuring a grievance redressal mechanism.
Goa has four offshore casinos and over a dozen onshore ones. Gadkar said checks to ensure Goans and people under 21 years of age are not gambling will be enforced through a gaming commissioner, whose qualification and appointment will be specified in the draft rules.
“The commissioner will be required to appoint agents to issue permits that will authorize a person to enter the place or area designated for gambling,” he stated, adding “The permit will be issued based on identity proof — PAN card, licence, aadhar card, etc — provided by the person who wants to gamble at a casino.”
While this check is expected to automatically keep Goans and those below 21 years of age out of casinos, the draft rules also state that a competent authority, which will include the police, will also be appointed to conduct regular searches on casinos and arrest anyone below 21 and any Goan found gambling.
In June 2012, the state government passed the amendment to the Goa Public Gaming Act, 1976, by introducing the Goa Public Gaming (Amendment) Bill, 2012.
