From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Jul 21: The off-shore gambling seems to be catching up in Goa with 1.21 lac gamblers visiting floating gambling dens in last financial year.
The state has five off shore casinos which are in news for wrong reasons like flouting the local rules and disrespecting the laws.
But the figures released by state’s commercial taxes department reveals that last financial year, 1.21 lac gamblers visited these off shore casinos anchored in the Mandovi river.
The oldest off shore casino, M V Caravela, which was licenced in 1999, remains the hot favourite amongst the gamblers, which basically comprise of domestic tourists.
Around 36,000 gamblers visited Caravelha last financial year contributing Rs 1.39 crores for the state coffers.
Leela Beach resort’s Casino Rio is the second favourite floating gambling den which has contributed Rs 56 lac from 35,000 gamblers who visited it last financial year.
The off shore gambling dens which have attracted protests across the state are being looked as an alternate tourist attraction after beaches.
“But this is dangerous. Once we start depending on the money earned from off shore casinos than we will be to remain with it,” leader of opposition and Bharatiya janata party (BJP) leader Manohar Parrikar told PTI.
He said that besides various irregularities by off shore casinos, they are also to be condemned for trying to spoil Goa’s image as a gambling destination.
“We should promote Goa as a family tourist destination and not gambling destination. Provide better tourist infrastructure so that we can more domestic guests rather than banking on off shore casinos,” BJP’s deputy leader in the house, Fransisco D’Souza, commented on the floor of the house during the ongoing monsoon assembly session.
Not just BJP but the voices of discontent are also emerging from the ruling Congress camp. Deputy speaker and congress legislator Mauvin Godinho, in the current assembly session, that these casinos are destroying families in Goa.
“Many families have lost their fortunes to gambling on the casino,” he said.
Similarly, another congress legislator, Dayanand Narvekar, questioned the wisdom of having off shore casinos as the cost of state’s image.