MONDAY, MAY 06, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The State cabinet on Thursday granted a year’s extension to the offshore casinos to operate in River Mandovi, giving them till September 30, 2022, as it is in process of identifying an alternative site for them.
The previous six month extension granted from April 1 onwards, to casinos ended on Thursday. This is the first time that a 12 month extension has been granted to the offshore casinos.
Addressing media persons post the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said that till an alternative site is identified, the casinos would continue to operate from River Mandovi for another year. “We have granted extension from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022,” he said.
Sawant said that the government is in process of identifying an alternative site for the relocation of casinos.
There are six offshore casinos operating in River Mandovi – MV Horseshoe Casino, MV Pride of Goa, MV Casino Royale, MV Argosy IV, MV Royale Flotel and MV Lucky.
Casino operations, which were shut since March-end due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resumed from September 20 with 50 per cent capacity. Government has made RTPCR negative certificate or fully vaccinated certificate mandatory to enter casino vessels.
The then BJP-led government had taken a policy decision in 2013 to relocate the offshore casinos from River Mandovi.
However, the failure to identify an alternative site forced the government to grant them a series of extensions to continue in the river since March, 2014.
