Panaji, May 8: The state will soon notify the Gaming Commission Rules for casinos, which will prevent Goans from entering 14 land-based and four  offshore casinos from the date of issuance of these rules.

Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who recently received the file of the draft rules from the home department, said that he is presently studying the same, further indicating that no Goan would be allowed to enter the casinos as per these rules.

“The draft rules have been formulated after taking into account the ill-effects of the casinos on the locals, during past couple of years,” he added, pointing out that the decision if taken, would be in the interest of all Goan families.

Maintaining that if Goans desire to seek entry in the casinos, they will have to seek special permission from the gaming commissioner, and related applications would be decided on case-to-case basis, Parsekar, who also holds the home portfolio told ‘The Navhind Times’ that a gaming commissioner would also be appointed soon as an authority to regulate the casino industry in the state.

“Furthermore, as per the Gaming Commission Rules, all the advertisements related to the casino industry, including roadside hoardings and newspaper releases, will have to be routed through the gaming commissioner, who would act as a censor for such advertisements,” the Chief Minister maintained, noting that the advertisements would be checked for making fake claims, or giving false hopes to the public.

The Chief Minister also said  the draft rules makes it compulsory for the casino owners to obtain photo identity of the visitors, including tourists visiting the licensed premises of the casinos.

“These rules further make compulsory an arrangement at the reception/ gaming area, which would ensure capture of video images of the visitors to the licensed premises of the casinos,” he revealed, stating that the casino owners will also have to preserve these records for a period of 30 days, from the end of the respective calendar month.

“There are other various regulatory clauses in these rules like say, 90 per cent of the entire receipts generated vis-à-vis total persons playing at the slot machines/ gaming machines, at particular time, at the casinos requiring having cumulative payout ratio against sale of chits covering prizes,” Parsekar noted.

Replying to a question he said that the gaming commissioner would however not have any authority to identify or decide on the new sites for relocating the off-shore casinos.

Presently, the government has banned children below 18 years from entering the gaming areas of the casinos, restricting their entry to the restaurants and other non-gaming areas of the casinos.

Furthermore, the government has enhanced the existing entry fee in casinos from Rs 700 charged per person under the Goa Entertainment Tax Act, 1964 to Rs 1,000 per person. It has also decided to implement ticketing through use of electronic fiscal devices, which would ensure a check on the entry tickets issued and utilised on real time basis.