CCP Set to Do a U-turn and Renew Casino Licences Citing Threat to Livelihoods

Several off-shore casinos have approached the Corporat💃ion of the City of Panaji (CCP) seeking renewal of their l☂icences. And according to , the CCP mayor Uday Madkaikar (pictured above) has said a decision is on hold.

Despite enormous political opposition against the river casinos, it looks likely the coronavirus pandemic, with ꦡits massive effect on🌜 government revenues, could mean the three casinos in contact with the CCP are given new licences to operate.

The civic body is running low on cash, recording a Rs. 11 Crores deficit budget in March for the financial year. One proposal ♔to increase revenue was to double the tax on casinos to Rs. 2 Lakhs a year.

The CCP earns Rs. 56 Lakhs each year from the six floating casinos on the Mandovi river. In addition, the presence of the ca♏sinos has a wider economic benefit for G🌌oa, with numerous trades heavily reliant on the industry.

Madka🏅ikar is quoted as saying: "CCP has kept the applications on hold, but in the current situation, local businessmen and tourist taxi operators had come to use and told us that if casinos are closed down, they would have no business.ꦏ"

All relevant sta🐟keholders will be consulted, he added, but the debate promises to stir passions on this issue once again. Panaji MLA Atanasio Monseratte had promised to remove all off-shore casinos within 100 days of winning the 2019 Panaji by-election but has repeatedly reneged on that pr𓄧omise.

Goa casinos have continually been given 🅠six-month licence⛦s to operate over the last few years, the most recent in April of this year.

The casinos themselves have been hit hard by the lockdown with Casino Pride's boss calling for a tax break among other measures to help the ailing sector.

Despite a loosening of restrictions nationwide, they remain shut, and in June they were told by Pramod Sawa✤nt that there were no plans♔ to reopen casinos soon.