MARGAO: Citizens of Margao have raised concerns that their town, the commercial capital of South Goa, has become a hub for illegal gambling operations. Even as the Margao police have only booked 44 cases under the Goa Public Gambling Act over the past year, locals bear witness to the flourishing gambling dens, offering both virtual gaming and digital payment options, that have sprouted across the town and Salcete’s 66 villages as well.
Senior citizen Ulhas Kerker said that the laws prohibiting gambling in the State are not enforced properly, as the government agencies including the police who are responsible for implementing the Act seem to be shying away from their duties. “Matka has ruined families as it is an addictive game and many unemployed youth get sucked into this menace. It mostly affects the low-income groups as they see it as a means to get rich quick, as one can even double their monies in a few hours’ time,” he said, adding that the matka operations can be seen flourishing at many busy places in Margao. “Even as the number of bookies seems to have increased threefold, with people coming in from other States to make money from these illegal operations, the number of cases being booked by the police have not increased accordingly,” he said.
In Margao, one can see matka bets being accepted at busy junctions with high pedestrian footfalls, at market places, beach parking lots and on the side of the roads. The bookies who are constantly on the move and seem to be one step ahead of the authorities also operate from small kiosks and gaddas, and hotel rooms as well.
“Matka activities were curbed when they reached their peak in Margao a few years ago. However in the past few years, especially after the Covid-19 lockdowns, fly-by-night gambling operations seem to have increased,” said a local, who admitted that it was now easier for bookies to stay under the radar as most of them operate through smartphones. Local bookies receive money from the players and pass the sum to the main agents running the operation from Mumbai. In Salcete, bookies operate from rented premises and also stay in lodges, and are often protected
by those renting their premises to them, as they provide them a steady rental income.
