Goa’s state government is forcing companies with offshore floating casinos to move their vessels from a local river to an open bay “known for choppy seas and unstable navigation conditions”, claimed the operators this week.
The “ill-conceived” cabinet decision to move the casino vessels into the Aguada bay was enforced on the maritime authorities, said Srinivas Nair of the Association of Offshore Casinos, in a statement to the local media.
The offshore casino operators say they are challenging the Goa government’s decision. At present, six offshore casinos are moored in the Mandovi River and one more is expected to arrive and begin operations later this year, said Mr Nair.
The casinos have faced stiff opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and civil society groups that have demanded that the government order the vessels out of the state, according to media reports.