Goa has notified rules barring anyone below 21 from entering casino gambling areas, tightening access to the state’s gaming zones inside five-star hotels and vessels. The change applies to designated, access-controlled areas rather than the whole licensed venue.
The move came a decade after then chief minister Manohar Parrikar assured that rules would be framed to keep young people out of casinos. Then chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar told the Goa Legislative Assembly in 2016 that the government was drafting a ban for people below 21, as criticism grew from civil society and social organisations arguing that casinos exposed young people to gambling and addiction.
According to the Home Department notification, no person below 21 shall be allowed entry by the licensee at designated licensed places or areas where electronic amusements, slot machines or table games are operated. In Goa’s framework, under-21s may enter the vessel, but not the gaming zone.
State officials said the Goa Public Gambling Act, 1976, has been amended to fix the minimum age for entry into casino gambling zones at 21. Manthan Manoj Naik, the home department’s undersecretary, said the restriction applies to separate partitioned sections with access control, including areas in a five-star hotel or vessel where gaming activities are confined to the segregated space.
The same notification also imposes 18% annual penal interest on delayed annual recurring fee payments. The rule says a licensee who delays payment of the fee will be liable for interest on the outstanding amount.
The restriction applies across Goa’s onshore and offshore casinos. iGamingToday said the state has dozens of onshore casinos and six offshore casinos in operation.
The change lands against a wider backdrop of financial pressure in the sector. Earlier in the year, The Goan reported that eight onshore and offshore casinos had defaulted on payments exceeding Rs314.56 crore, with some dues dating back to 2018. It said La Calypso Hotels owed more than Rs107.11 crore, MKM Grand Gaming owed more than Rs80 crore, and recovery proceedings had been started against Trade Wings Hotels for Rs82.70 crore.
