Casinos: Churchill & Pauskar raise heat

Rane: barge owners are complaining about themrrrthe goan I networkrPanajirrWhile Alemão sought that there should be a high entry fee, Pauskar said that casinos were not needed and both land-based and offshore casinos should be removed from Goa. rAlemão, who was among the first to raise the issue, said that Goa’s casinos do not follow global norms and are only out to ruin people’s lives. r“By virtue of the fact that I was a seafarer and have travelled the world, I have seen many casinos. Back in 1974 I have visited a casino. Across the world casinos have a payout ratio of 40:60 in which for every rupee gambled, the casino gets 40% while total winnings are maintained at 60%. Here in Goa the casinos keep 90%,” Alemão said. r“Because of this so many people have ruined their lives and driven to suicide. They get addicted and then the fight with their wives and families,” Alemão said, adding that the entry fee should be fixed at `5,000 to dissuade people from entering casinos in the first place. rSanguem MLA Deepak Pauskar however was against casinos completely. r“We don’t want casinos in Goa. They should be shut altogether. Agriculture and mining can be restarted and today people are earning good money from these activities,” Pauskar said. rOn the other hand, Pratapsingh Rane offered the government help to relocate the casinos to another location. “If you want help you can ask us we will help you find another place. Even the barge operators are complaining about the number of casinos berthed in the Mandovi,” Rane said.