Shifting of Goa Offshore Casinos Extended By One Year to March 31, 2017

Yesterday, on March 31, the Goa BJP-led government announced that it was extending the licenses of the four offshore casinos, by one year, thereby delaying their shifting another 12 months.

Laxmikant Parsekar, Chief Minister, told the press that the government had decided to extend the offshore licenses till March next year. He stated, “The decision was to grant further extension to the offshore casino licences to relocate their casino vessels from river Mandovi for a further period till an alternate feasible site is finalised by the government or till March 31, 2017, whichever is earlier.”

Besides the four offshore casinos, the Delta Pleasure Cruise Company Private Limited (owned by Jaidev Modi) has also been granted permission to operate the M V Royale Flotel in river Mandovi till March 31, 2017.

The government had promised to shift the casinos from the current venue at the River Mandovi by March 31. The alternate sites chosen had been the Aguada Bay and river Chapora, Sal and Zuari, but locals and opposition parties had raised huge objections crying loss of livelihood and corruption of youngsters as a result of the casinos.