Despite the rising popularity of floating casinos, they have continued to face political heat and opposition from a section of the state and other industry players. This resistance from the state is quite fierce even though the current mandate is still valid until 2018. This gives owners time to come up with a good plan that can make the state see how casinos can boost local tourism.
Unfortunately, some of the casinos whose licenses are almost expiring are facing intense pressure from government not to renew their license. They want them to move far away from the city or relocate deep sea.
In current times, concerned officials have been scouting for an alternative location where these casinos can shift once their current license expires. The only hope they casinos have now is an extension just like it has happened before. It is quite ironical that the campaign to shut these casinos was started the then opposition party which is now in power. They have even issued a proposal to ban locals from entering the casinos all together.
The reasons given for the resistance does not hold any ground. Some quarters say the casinos are polluting the environment. That many young people are ruining their lives, and that the casinos have completely ruined Goans culture. A section of non-governmental organizations and political parties claim the casinos are bad influence and have turned local into gambling addicts. This is despite the casinos bringing the state a significant percentage of revenue and employment for local residents.
The industry is worried about many things, but most importantly is the future growth. Especially with footfalls rising sharply each coming year, floating casinos are worried that they might require more capacity in order to meet the growing demand. They hope more destinations can be opened up to have floating casinos thrive amid the many growth hurdles.
The current situation is not good and it has left both local and foreign investors in a dilemma. They are hoping that the state can publicly appreciate the critical contribution these casinos are making to the growth of the economy. It only needs the state to create friendly policies that do not hurt the industry.
Meanwhile, the industry of floating casinos is hoping that the resistance voices will soon die down, at least in the future. This is to pave way for expansion due a resounding deficiency in the state where people can gamble legally. In fact, Goa still stands a better chance of attracting out most investors in floating casinos.
