The Chief Minister of the Indian state of Goa, Laxmikant Parsekar, who vouched to rid the state of casinos as a pre-election promise, has said that the offshore casino boats may be moved to a new location further inland.

Goa

Parsekar was answering a question about the government’s plans for casinos in the state and in particular whether new licences would be granted.

“Not at all, at least not in the Mandovi,” he said. “We are even planning to shift this in the interior elsewhere.” On new licences, he said no new offshore permits were in the works, but didn’t specify whether onshore casinos were being considered.

According to government data, the onshore and offshore casinos annually contribute nearly US$20m to the state’s treasury.