India is opposing off-shore casinos in the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in fears of turning into another gaming mecca such as Macau and Las Vegas, Daijiworld Media Network reported yesterday.
As such locals in the state unit will launch an anti-off shore casino agitation in the state at the end of the month, the report said.
"As Pale constituency by-election is round the corner, we are barred from holding any agitations or demonstrations, as per the model code of conduct. We will set off our agitation against the off-shore casinos, once the election comes to an end," the leader of Opposition in the state assembly Manohar Parrikar yesterday told reporters in Panaji, India.
Currently the only Indian state to have off-shore casinos is Goa, where gaming ships operate in the Mandovi river. However, last month, locals held a candle protest outside Casino Goa.
According to the report, "the BJP opposes casinos in all its forms. Some hotels in the state have turned into gambling dens, by illegally operating the casinos," Parrikar was quoted as saying, adding that “the state BJP will chalk out a comprehensive programme of agitation against the off-shore casinos.”
The BJP has been opposing the off-shore casinos, claiming that “they attract gamblers to the state in the guise of tourism and also have the potential to turn the tiny coastal state into Macau and Las Viegas,” the report added.