Casinos to remain shut in Goa Wednesday

September 10th, 2009 August another doggone bad month for AC casinosATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — If the nation's second-largest gambling market was to have a good month this year, August would have been it: The rain finally stopped and visitors flocked to Atlantic City's 11 casinos.

July 30th, 2009 PANAJI - In a collective response to the "tough" measures proposed in Goa's additional budget 2009-10, the offshore casino industry has objected to the proposed 10-fold increase in the entry fee to casino vessels from Rs.200 to Rs.2,000. In a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar Monday, the Association of Offshore Casinos (AOC) has asked the government to whittle down the proposed enhanced entry fee from Rs.2,000 to Rs.500.

July 21st, 2009 PANAJI - Once known as a hot-spot for hippies, Goa's new found reputation as a gambling destination appears to be catching on fast. In financial year 2008-09, nearly 121,000 gamblers visited the state's five offshore casinos.

July 4th, 2009 PANAJI - Activists in Goa have urged the government to ban offshore and onshore casinos in the state - like Russia which outlawed gambling houses Wednesday. Offshore and onshore casinos have been the subject of controversy over the past year after the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and civil society groups vehemently opposed them on grounds of moral and socio-economic degradation.

July 1st, 2009 PANAJI - Goa Public Works Department Minister Churchill Alemao Wednesday said here that most casinos in the state are operated by a Nepali cartel, which fleeces patrons with a measly two percent pay out ratio. I have been playing in casinos in so many places since 1974.

June 23rd, 2009 PANAJI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa Tuesday watered down its aggressive 'no-casino' policy, saying it opposes offshore casinos but onshore casinos were a "necessary evil" for the sake of tourism in the state. "We are completely opposed to offshore casinos.

June 22nd, 2009 PANAJI - After training its guns on the Congress-led coalition in Goa for allowing both offshore and onshore casinos to run amok, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now finds itself in the crosshair of an onshore casino operator. Update Recreation and Gaming Private Ltd (URGPL), a firm which operates mechanised casinos in several five-star resorts in Goa, has accused leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar of pandering to the offshore casino lobby during his tenure as chief minister.

June 22nd, 2009 Station Casinos gets fourth extension on debt planLAS VEGAS — Station Casinos Inc. says it is continuing to negotiate a restructuring plan with bondholders and has extended its deadline to next month.

May 11th, 2009 PANAJI - The Goa government is forcing offshore casinos to move their vessels out of the Mandovi river and park them into a bay 'known for choppy seas and unstable navigation conditions', casino operators said Monday. The 'ill-conceived' cabinet decision to move the casino vessels into the Aguada bay was enforced on the Captain of Ports (CoP) department, which overlooks Goa's minor ports along the various water bodies, Srinivas Nair of the Association of Offshor Casinos (AOC) told reporters.

May 6th, 2009 PANAJI - Garbage dumped over the years by the offshore casinos into the Mandovi river has been drastically increasing the organic content in the water, polluting fish and other marine organisms, a waste management expert said Wednesday. Joe D'Souza, who has been hired as a consultant by the Panaji municipal corporation to handle the burgeoning garbage woes of the city, said that the garbage dumped by the offshore casino operators into the Mandovi river, which flows alongside the capital, could serve as a serious health hazard, if dumping continues unabatedly.

April 23rd, 2009 In recession, casino freebies are hard to come byATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Many casinos are handing out fewer freebies to gamblers as they take in less money during the recession.

March 25th, 2009 PANAJI - The Goa government Tuesday sealed three offshore casinos, which were under the scanner for violating pollution norms. The casinos - Rio, Caravela and Maharaja - had failed to obtain the necessary licence from the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB).

March 20th, 2009 PANAJI - The Congress' Goa unit does not have a problem in opening up the state's coast to several more offshore casinos, as long as the vessels are berthed in the Arabian Sea, a party spokesperson Thursday said. Addressing a press conference, party spokesman Vishnu Wagh said that the Congress was for the offshore casino industry, as long as the common man was not affected.

February 25th, 2009 PANAJI - The six offshore casino-ships docked in the Mandovi river have been ordered off city limits within 15 days, Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat Tuesday said. Speaking to reporters during a post cabinet briefing, Kamat said the government will also set up a gaming commission within three months to regulate gambling in both off shore and onshore casinos operating in Goa.

February 4th, 2009 PANAJI - After alleging fraud and corruption in the licensing for offshore casinos, the opposition has accused the controversial offshore gambling vessel managements of dumping untreated sewage in the Mandovi river. Speaking during question hour, Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar said the half a dozen casino vessels parked in the Mandovi river have no sewage disposal systems in place.