Matka is not against Goa’s system. It IS the system

PANJIM: “Matka is going on, yet wherever police notice the activities we raid the dens. Matka is illegal everybody knows.”- North Goa SP Umesh Gaonkar

“We conduct raids and frequently book cases. Matka is illegal.” - South Goa SP Shekhar Prabhudesai  

Mark the words of the heads of Goa’s  police in two of its districts. If they really believe what they are saying, their force is completely out of sync with the extent, nature and the kingpins of the matka trade. And these are not replies that will satisfy the Bombay High Court which has issued notices to Goa’s police top brass on a petition alleging the involvement of the police in the rampant illegal gambling/matka trade

It’s bloody, its cut throat and it spares no one. And contrary to what the two SPs may say or even think, their own men are involved. And this is no secret.

It was in 2001 when matka agent Guru Pujari was shot dead at Khareband, Margao, allegedly by hired gunmen by a rival matka agent, that the nexus between police and matka agents was revealed. This happened when a prime witnesses, Mohammed Pandiyal, was also shot dead in Margao while the case was under trial. As a result, both murder cases ended in acquittals.

Murder is small collateral damage in an industry with a Rs 15- 20 crore daily turnover and a Rs 5 crore daily profit. Yes, this is in Goa. It is never down or shut. People who invest in this always make profits and no government body either gives it licenses to issues renewals.

And it is fully protected. By Goa’s police and politicians, unchecked but certainly not unnoticed 

The trade goes on in the open – the bookie can be seen seated on a small chair with a multicoloured open book on every road in the state – and in connivance with the police and politicians, some of the latter even directly involved in it.

Herald investigations reveal that the illegal trade has a turnover of about Rs 15-20 crore on an average per day and its net income is approximately Rs 5 crore. 

There are over 60,000 matka bookies sitting in every corner of Goa’s towns and villages accepting the bets. Above these there are some 80 to 90 main agents who collect the bets from their respective jurisdiction. These people are the big fish in the matka industry and include influential politicians at various levels.

Two of the present MLAs of the Goa assembly – one from the BJP and the other from the Congress – are allegedly involved in the matka business as  is a former mayor of Panjim. A major chunk of the betting, except in some very rural areas, is handled by these three.

Above these, the man behind the matka betting in Goa, is IPL cricket betting bookie Paresh Goa.

The police claim to be doing their duty in curbing the matka trade.

Yet, bookies are found in markets, bars, outside shops, restaurants, small kiosks, schools, colleges, at bus stands, in railways stations, next to government offices etc. There will be approximately 80 to 90 matka bookies within a 300 meter radius of the police headquarters at Panjim and around 90 to 100 matka bookies within the vicinity of South Goa police headquarters.