Congress’ casino caper

September 29th, 2009 PANAJI - Goa Crime Branch officials Tuesday quizzed Tourism Minister Mickky Pacheco for nearly two hours in connection with a casino extortion case registered against the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator. Mickky was booked by the Crime Branch Sep 17 for allegedly extorting Rs.3.69 lakh, assaulting casino staffers and threatening them with dire consequences.

September 23rd, 2009 MORADABAD - Police resorted to baton charge to disperse violent people in a theme park here on Tuesday. The violence allegedly started in a casino illegally operating in the Prem Wonderland Water Kingdom.

September 19th, 2009 PANAJI - Goa Tourism Minister Francisco alias Mickky Pacheco was Saturday granted interim bail by a district court in Margao. He was booked two days ago for allegedly threatening and extorting money from a casino.

September 10th, 2009 Chinese govt to help finish Revel's AC casinoATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Revel Entertainment has turned to the Chinese government for help finishing the lavish casino it is building on Atlantic City's Boardwalk.

September 10th, 2009 Chinese gov't to finance rest of Revel's AC casinoATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Revel Entertainment has turned to the Chinese government for financing to finish its lavish Atlantic City casino.

July 31st, 2009 APNewsBreak: NJ could force sale of half BorgataATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — One of the co-owners of Atlantic City's top casino could be forced to sell its 50 percent stake as a result of concerns by New Jersey officials over alleged organized crime ties of its partner in a Chinese casino venture.

June 22nd, 2009 PANAJI - Saying that "ministers going to casinos is bad", Goa Congress chief Subhash Shirodkar Monday said the involvement of Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) cabinet ministers in casino-related controversies was "in bad taste". I can only say that the casino episode is in bad taste, Shirodkar said at a press conference at the party headquarters here.

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 21st, 2009 PANAJI - Facing criminal charges for allegedly cheating Goa Tourism Minister Francisco Pacheco of Rs.1.25 crore in gambling winnings, a casino firm has alleged that Pacheco in fact owed it Rs.30 lakh in dues. Gerald Fernandes, general manager of the Update Recreation and Gaming Pvt Ltd (URGPL) casino, which runs the Treasures casino at Majorda beach resort, has filed a police complaint against Pacheco.

April 29th, 2009 Bankruptcy sale authorized for NJ casino TropicanaATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., is about to enter bankruptcy court, where it will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

April 10th, 2009 LONDON - Daniel Craig starrer 'Casino Royale' has been crowned the best ever movie remake in a survey conducted by movie rental website Lovefilm.com. The 2006 thriller beat Brad Pitt and George Clooney's crime caper 'Ocean's Eleven' to the top spot, reports imdb.com.

March 24th, 2009 GANGTOK - Keen to improve tourist inflow into the State, the Sikkim Government recently launched a casino. With an annual increase of 20 per cent in tourist inflow in recent years, Sikkim is the only state in the country offering land based live casino facilities and complete casino gaming to tourists.

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.

March 18th, 2009 PANAJI - Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat Tuesday denied the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) charge that senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had asked him to raise the ceiling on the number of offshore casinos in the state. 'Neither Ahmed Patel, nor any other Congressman from Delhi called me in connection with any casino related matter,' Kamat told a press conference here.

March 13th, 2009 PANAJI - The Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court has directed the Goa government to freeze its directive to offshore casino operators to move outside the city limits and drop anchor in a nearby bay. The bench issued the directions Thursday after Hotel Leela Ventures Limited (HLVL), which operates Casino Rio, moved the court challenging a state cabinet decision taken Feb 26 to move the offshore casinos from Mandovi river to the Aguada bay some 3 km away.