Casino Goa

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The Casino Goa

The Casino Goa is India's only legalised casino located offshore in Panaji in Goa. The casino is located on a yacht, the M.V. Caravela, anchored in the River Mandovi. The casino vessel worth is 110 million Rupees (or 11 crore ₨) and is owned by the Advani Pleasure Cruise Co Ltd as a joint venture between the company and Casinos Austria. It has around eleven tables of American Roulette, Blackjack and Paplu (Rummy) besides a few electronic slot machines. The yacht is 215 feet long (65.5 m) and can accommodate 300 people. A boat ferries passengers from the shore to the yacht. Themed restaurants, barbecues atop the deck and a swimming pool are some of the facilities on board. The ship is named after the first Portuguese ship that visited Goa in the 16th century.

The company has to pay a licence fee of Rs. 500,000 (or Rs. 5 lakh ) annually. Entrance fees are high at Rs. 1,600 for the morning sightseeing cruise (10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.), Rs. 3,000 for the sunset cruise (5.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.), and Rs. 4,000 for the dinner cruise (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.). Its high fees are meant to deter casual punters and target the foreign tourists. Players are dealt to by dealers specially trained to conduct sessions with accepted international standards. The government hopes to lure Indian citizens who travel to neighbouring Nepal to gamble.

The setup of the casino was controversial as gambling is outlawed in India. This was partially circumvented by hosting it off the mainland. The casino was allowed to operate by the BJP ruled government amidst protests from the opposition Congress party.

[edit] Future growth

In 2007, State of Goa officials finally decided to expand the number of licenses for off-shore boating casinos tenfold in Goa to attract foreign tourists from the Arabian peninsula, and attempt to recreate some of the success of Macau, another former Portuguese colony. The state also has an eye on the large number of Indian gamblers flocking to neighboring Nepal, where gambling is legal. Visitors are expected to climb 20% this year, approaching 3 million. [1]