Casinos in Goa and Sikkim Get Go-Ahead to Reopen on November 1

There was positive news for the casino industry in India on We⛎dnesday with the announcement that casinos in Goa and Sikkim have been given the green light to restart operations on November 1.

In Goa, chief minister Pramod Sawant said: "From November 1, we have given the casinos permissions to start. They will have to follow all the SOPs as🌱 will be issued to them by the Home Department and with 50% capacity they can start. We need to promote ♈tourism activity."

In a further boost to the six offshore casinos and those located inside fi꧅ve-star hotels in the state, Sawant said casino operators could pay the an♒nual fees on a monthly basis, rather than in a single go.

The Goa casinos remain a source of controversy in thꦺe state but, as well as being a big draw for tourists, they contribute around Rs. 300 C꧃rores in licence fees and a further Rs. 90 Crores in GST each year to state coffers. Government revenue has been severely hit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Delta Corp Ltd shares rose 4% in trading after the company confirmed its Sikkim casino would welcome visitors back on November 1 too. India's only listed company in the casino industry runs casinos in Goa and Sikkim with around 1,800 gaming positions. It recently took a stake in a shipyard making casino vessels.

Earlier this month, the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) made a request🧸 to the government to reopen casinos in the state. It appears the lobbying ﷽was successful.

The long-term future of casinos in Goa remains precarious. The controversial casinos on the River Mandovi were given another six-month extension to operate back in Septemb🎀er as arguments about relocating them rumble on.