The Aam Aurat Admi Against Gambling (AAAAG), an umbrella body of women’s collectives and other groups fighting casinos have opposed the decision of the Goa government to promote gambling for tourism, which it said was “against public policy.”
“Gambling is against public policy and is prohibited by law. The objective of the Goa Gambling Prevention Act was to stop it and has several provisions to prevent gambling and its advertisement,” said Sabina Martins, convenor of AAAAG in a statement here on Saturday.
She said the subsequent governments have gone against the objective of the Act and have brought about several amendments to promote casino gambling instead of curtailing it.
Ms. Martins said the promises made by successive governments to remove casinos from the river Mandovi have not been kept and instead the plan now is to provide special zones on land at Mopa for gambling.
The organisation demanded that no land or rivers of Goa be given for gambling. It said promotion of gambling along with the associated evils of prostitution, alcoholism, money laundering, goondaism, forgery, robberies, mafia, intimidation, debt, and suicides is not the mandate given to the government.
Goa has six floating casinos on river Mandovi off Panaji and 10 onshore casinos in hotels of five star and above category.
