Goa has amended its gambling regulations to bar local residents from entering the Indian resort state’s casinos.
The change comes into effect 1st of March, said Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has come under fire from anti-casino advocates in recent months for neglecting a campaign promise made by his Bharatiya Janata Party to suppress the industry.
The new rule will make it mandatory for anyone entering a casino to prove that he or she is a tourist and not a local.
The amendment also calls for the appointment of a gaming commissioner to regulate the industry.
Goa is one of only three jurisdictions in India to permit casinos and the only one besides Daman where they operate. Goa’s market is by far the country’s largest, with four casinos floating on cruise ships on the Mandovi River in and around the capital of Panaji and another dozen or so in tourist hotels.