Goa CM Says Casinos are Essential for Tourism in the State

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has assessed the importance of casinos in the state and told that they are a very important part of the tourism industry as they attract tourists.

“During one of the media interviews, I was asked whether I support casinos. Casinos are one of the important parts of tourism as they attract tourists… of course, it is there,” Sawant said.

“We are getting direct and indirect revenue from the tourism industry. Now it depends on the stakeholders how to grow the industry, while the government can provide necessary infrastructure for them. We want to make it 100%,” Sawant added.

The Government of Goa has recently announced plans to ban residents from entering casino floors. However, the authorities did not set any timeline for the implementation of such a controversial measure.

“I am of the opinion that Goans should not be allowed in casinos. The Goa Gambling Policy makes it clear that casinos are allowed only for tourism purpose and not for Goans to visit. We have to sit and fix a date to ban Goa residents from casinos. They would be barred from entering offshore and onshore casinos,” Sawant said.