In India, the government for the small state of Goa has passed legislation that considerably increases the license fees for land-based casinos while introducing two new offshore casino licensing categories.

According to a report from The Times Of India newspaper, land-based casinos with a total area of up to 1,076 sq ft will now be required to pay just over $523,500, which is up from approximately $373,900.

The new fee structure revealed by Neetal Amonkar, Under-Secretary for the western state’s Home Department, is to see onshore casinos offering a total area of between 1,076 sq ft and 3,229 sq ft mandated to hand over $673,100 in tax, which is an increase of about $224,300, while those up to 5,381 sq ft will now shell out $214,500 more at $748,000.

For the largest current land-based casinos, which can be sized between 5,381 sq ft and 8,072 sq ft, the government will expect $972,500, which is up from around $673,100 previously.

In addition, the legislation has designated two larger onshore licensing categories beginning with those featuring an area of 8,072 sq ft to 10,763 sq ft, which will be required to pay a fee of $1.196 million, while all those larger than this are to be charged $1.271 million a year.

“These categories have been introduced for the first time,” read a statement from the Home Department.

The newspaper reported that the Chief Minister for Goa, Laxmikant Parsekar, previously declared that his government’s policy of hiking casino fees had seen the numbers of land-based casinos in the state decrease from double digits down to just a few. However, the policy did not extend to the recent decision to grant a license to the nation’s largest casino inside the Delta Suites Hotel on Bambolim Beach.