Goa’s Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar defended the Indian state’s multimillion-dollar casino industry, saying it is “not linked to terrorist activities in India”.
His statement came in response to a query from independent legislator Rohan Khaunte, who who wanted to know if US authorities were in the state to investigate the industry and its alleged links to terrorist funding.
Mr Parrikar avoided the question directly, stating only that “The matter falls in the domain of central government and hence cannot be replied.”
The Goa government earlier this year issued new know-your-customer guidelines for casinos that include tracking financial transactions and keeping player profiles.
The guidelines say, “Casinos shall verify the identity of the customer and seek information about the sources of funds before accepting the ‘Politically Exposed Person’ as a customer,” the objective being “to prevent casinos from being used, intentionally or unintentionally, by criminal elements for money laundering or terrorist financing activities.”
Goa has more than a dozen onshore casinos and five offshore casinos that attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.
