Goa will not issue new licenses for floating casinos

Authorities in the Indian state of Goa will not issue new licenses for floating casinos that are allowed to operate on the Mandovi River. This was announced last Monday by the chief minister of the state, Pramod Sawant.

The announcement came after opposition leader Yuriy Alemao, who claimed that the new pier being built on the Mandovi River is intended for the construction of a seventh casino.

Recall that in Goa there are currently 11 casinos in hotels where only slot machines are allowed, and six river casinos, which also host table games.

Floating casinos started operating in 2000. Three of them - Deltin Caravela, Deltin Royal Casino and Deltin Jaqk Casino - are owned by Delta Corp. The operator plans to replace the first of the river casinos with a ship with a capacity of 2.5 times more.

Two more river gambling establishments are operated by Pride Group. They are Casino Pride and Casino Pride 2.

The newest floating casino is Big Daddy Casino operated by GGHPL.

The average annual turnover of a river casino is estimated at 120 crore rupees ($14.7 million). The average occupancy of one river casino reaches 600-800 people on weekends.

Due to the environmental damage caused by floating casinos, the state authorities over the past few years have announced their intention to move these establishments to the territory of the casino resort in the city of Pernem. Its construction has not yet begun.