Team Herald
PORVORIM: The casinos operating in Goa owe the government a whopping Rs 340 crore, of which Rs 100 crore is locked in litigation. This figure came to light in the Assembly on Tuesday, when Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao lashed out at the government for failing to recover the huge sum from the casino operators and for not stopping live gaming that is allegedly happening at land casinos.
Answering the allegations, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stressed that the government will recover Rs 240 crore from casino operators by March 31, while Rs 100 crore remains sub judice and will be recovered three months after the cases are resolved. He also warned that land casino licences would be suspended if evidence of live gaming was found.
The Opposition Leader also alleged that illegal live gaming was taking place at four land casinos, an issue that is under investigation. He questioned whether the government had appointed a full-time Gaming Commissioner to regulate casinos or if the GST Commissioner was also acting as the Gaming Commissioner.
Alemao further claimed that illegal live gaming was being conducted at some of the 15 land casinos, with four operators facing legal action since August last year. He stated that such activities were happening within a two-kilometre radius of the Legislative Assembly.
In response to Alemao’s questions, the CM clarified that the government had not granted permission for live gaming and confirmed that proceedings in two of the three cases related to illegal gaming had been concluded, while action was still pending in one case.
Sawant assured that the government was conducting regular inspections of casinos and would suspend licences if any evidence of illegal live gaming or violations of licensing conditions were found. He also confirmed that the GST Commissioner was also functioning as the Gaming Commissioner.
The Chief Minister stated that the government aimed to recover the Rs 240 crore owed by casino operators by March 31, 2025. He also explained that the Rs 100 crore locked in litigation would be recovered three months after the legal cases were resolved.
Sawant revealed that the State had earned Rs 1,418.82 crore from both offshore and onshore casinos over the past five years (between April 2020 and February 2025).