The investigations of TheGoan into the operations of casinos in Goa, has opened up much more than acan of worms. The picture is this. Virtually shiploads of black money findtheir way into the casinos of Goa and circulate in merry abandon, right underthe noses of the commercial and income tax authorities.
The quantum of the black money loot is so enormous thatnothing prepares us for this. However, this context might. The total annualspend of the Goa government is Rs 4200 crores. at about Rs 350 crores a month. Our investigations have unearthed thatclose to Rs 3000 crores is rolled or played in the 12 onshore and offshorefunctional casinos in Goa. Goa receives a paltry Rs 30 crores annually from allsources from the casino industry compared to Rs 950 cores it used to receivefrom mining.
The need to brutally regulate and curtail the black moneytrail is critical for two reasons. One for the obvious reason of checking theblack money trail to ensure that money from drugs and terrorism is not ploughedback into the casino business. It’svital to check the antecedents of the money, the sources from where the junketagents(the financers) get their endless liquidity and the manner in which it reachesthe casino table, Gone are the days when gamblers a la Bollywood, arrived togamble with suitcases full of cash. These days a mobile phone is all it takes,where money is available at the drop of one sms from the right source.Secondly, it’s important for the state to recover the right amount of taxesfrom an industry which makes huge profits but underpays the state where itoperates. The IT and the commercial taxes department had to be given targets ofrecovery. There is suspicion that officials are paid off hugely buy casinooperators. In fact there is mounting evidence that a former Congress seniorminister was a regular recipient of casino booty to allow unhindered operationson the Mandovi waters.
The Parrikar government must realise that Goa can’t becleaned up by merely preventing Goans from entering casinos. The stakes aremuch higher. The real issues are the ones The Goan has exposed and willcontinue to do. The state must act and act now.
