So the Chief Minister has his bill. Tabled on August 6,2012, Parrikar gave to Goa the Goa Public Gambling (Amendment) Bill, 2012 thatpermits only the entry of tourists into casinos and restricts the entry ofyouth under the age of 21 years in the gaming area. Prima facie, the bill haseverything that a welfare state should have. Goans won’t waste away their moneygambling, the youth will not enter the casinos, the state will monitor who hasthe money to gamble away and will tax the big spenders.
But scratch the surface and you find many questionsunanswered
Lawyers across Goa felt that the proposed amendment isdiscriminatory. “Whoever is making such a law is discriminating between Goans andIndians. Doesn’t this mean that what is bad for Goans should be prescribed forIndians?” asks advocate Satish Sonak. Sonak even questions the very nature ofthe act which he feels is violation of fundamental rights, a feeling shared byadvocate Aires Rodrigues. “As per Article 13 of the Constitution of India thatguarantees fundamental rights, the government cannot discriminate and baranybody from entering any place. If they allow casinos to function then they mayas well allow Goans to visit them”, says Rodrigues. Rodrigues also plans tochallenge the act in the High Court as soon as it is passed.
The casino industry across Goa has reacted quite bemusedly tothe whole aspect of collecting a tourist permit from the Gaming Commissioner toplay. “For someone flying into Goa business class or on his own private jet, doyou expect him to queue up before the Commissioner to collect a permit?” asksSrinivas Nayak of the Casino Association of Goa. Nayak raises the whole issueof identification socially. “Do you think a gamer would like to stand in publicand be identified as a gambler?”
The Rs 1000 crore, 5000jobs casino industry feels that the whole move is a polite way of asking the casinoindustry to wind up.
While the entry into casino might have raised a human rightsrelated issue, it does not affect the life of a normal Goan, feels advocateAmit Palyekar. Palyekar feels that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar should haveconcentrated more on policing the leakage in revenue than moral policing. “Haveyou seen any government offices working after six pm, how do they plan tomonitor the Casino business that flourishes after-hours” asks Palyekar.
Regular industry watchers, such as Nandan Kudchadkar, feelthat this is a classic case of each solution bringing in a new set of problems.“If a Goan earns five million US dollars a month, should he not play justbecause he is a Goan while a man earning Rs. 200 a day can blow that money awayon matka”, asks Kudhchadkar. While the amended bill is now an act, how muchwill it act upon the swathes of black money that allegedly floats in and out ofthese casinos?
