Goa govt allows casinos to reopen from November 1

Panaji: The Goa Cabinet on Wednesday decided to allow casinos to reopen in the state from November 1 by following the COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

The coastal state has six offshore and around a dozen onshore casinos, which have been shut since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in March this year.

Talking to reporters here after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said: "The state Cabinet has decided to allow casinos to reopen from November 1 onwards."

The casinos will have to operate at 50 per cent of their capacity and follow all the standard operating procedures laid down by the state Home department, he said.

Sawant also added that casino operators will have to pay the license fees before resuming operations.

As part of the unlocking process, the state government has allowed various commercial and tourism activities to resume in the state to get the economy back on track.

Tourism is one of the major sources of revenue for the coastal state.