Team Herald

PORVORIM: Fees of onshore and offshore casinos have been increased for the third consecutive year with the government, under pressure from the anti-casino lobby to get rid of the ‘menace’, imposing a significant hike in transfer fees. The Budget also raised the fees for renewal of licence to Rs 30 lakh, as against Rs 20 lakh this financial year.

Similarly, transfer fees for onshore and offshore casinos has been raised to Rs 10 crore and Rs 20 crore, respectively. The current FY 2016-17 had imposed Rs 2 lakh as application fee for transfer and Rs 5 crore upon approval from the government.

The government has also hiked, by Rs 50 lakh, the annual recurring fees for land based casinos, whereas the offshore vessels will have to shell out a little extra depending on the passenger capacity. A vessel with up to 200 passenger capacity is mandated to pay Rs 10 crore fees to the government, while those between 200 and 400 will be charged Rs 11 crore and the vessel having passenger capacity exceeding 400 will have to pay Rs 12 crore.

The rise in tariff comes at a time when the State government is close to the deadline of moving the vessels to an alternative site. 

The government, after the polls on February 4 and before the counting on March 11 had renewed the license to Golden Globe Hotels Private Limited, making it the sixth casino in the already congested River Mandovi.