Goa is India’s only state to have legalised casinos and gambling drives its economy. Goa at present has six casinos, one of which is the MS Caravela cruise ship. The latest addition to the gaming stable is the Goldfinger at the Cidade de Goa hotel in Panjim. Previously known as Chances Casino with thirty-five slot machines, the Goldfinger has now added gaming tables.

The old Portuguese name for Goa’s capital city, Panjim, was Cidade de Goa (City of Goa). The 5-star hotel of the same name is set in 40 acres of gardens bordering the Arabian Sea at Vainguinim Beach. The Goldfinger Casino is open 24/7 and offers state-of-the-art gaming facilities with blackjack, roulette and a computerized horseracing derby. At the bar there is also baccarat.

Apart from the Goldfinger, the only other casino in Goa to have table games is the cruise ship Caravela. The other four land-based casinos are slots operations, the largest being Winners Casino and Hacienda de ora at Altomonte Margao, which has 150 slot machines in its casino cum bar. The other three casinos have little more than fifty machines between them.

Generally gambling in India is not accepted, although some other states are now beginning to consider legalizing casinos. Goa, with its Portuguese traditions and large European-influenced tourist industry, is the exception. Many Indians do gamble but their rupees are spent in Nepal and other countries where the Indian states cannot profit from gambling taxes. As in many parts of the world, the moral and religious objections to gambling are in conflict with the pragmatic economic considerations. (E-06.06.05)

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