Gaming | Goa seeks legal opinion on Macau model casino rules

Goan Carnival and Leisure Pvt. Ltd.’s Casino Carnival sit on Mandovi river close to Panjim, Goa

The state government of Goa has sought legal opinion on newly-drafted gaming rules, which the state has framed along the Macau model.

The gaming rules were earlier repealed by the home department from the law department to be redrafted based on the Macau casino rules, The Times of India reported.

Officials from the Indian state of Goa are seeking the legal opinion of advocate general Saresh Lotilkar regarding the draft rules before they are brought into force.

If approved, the rules prohibit the entry of Goans into casinos except for employment.

Recently, the state cabinet defined several terms such as area, casino, electronic gaming, live gaming, offshore, offshore casino, onshore casino and passenger capacity in the Goa Public Gambling (Amendment) Act 1976, as reported by the media outlet.

In December, a senior home department officer told the media outlet that the decision to redraft the new rules along the lines of Macau casino rules was due to the government’s aim “to monitor onshore and offshore casino operations in the Goa, the western state of India.”

The officer explained, “We have redrafted rules based on Macau casino rules to specify how to maintain the record of customers visiting the casinos, what should be the quality of CCTV cameras, how many days CCTV footage should be stored, among other things.”

The gaming commission file has been sent to the advocate general, and a senior official noted that they are “waiting for his opinion before the rules are amended.”

Under the draft rules, the state home department has given power to the state government to appoint a gaming commissioner, which could either be a private or a government officer.

Goa is one of the three Indian states that allow live casinos to operate within its borders. The coastal state, which was administered by Portugal until 1961, plays host to 11 land-based gaming venues and five floating casinos.