Delta Corp announced in a Bombay Stock Exchange filing that it has been granted a license to operate a casino at its Delta Suites Hotel in Goa. The only publicly traded gaming firm in India’s stock was up 6% on the announcement. Delta owns and operates two offshore casinos including the Deltin Jaqk. This is their first on-land license in the state. VIP players customarily lodge at Deltin Suites before or after embarking on casino gambling on the Deltin Royale on the Mandovi river. Another casino is being built at the Deltin Daman in that state and is expected to open soon.
“The company will strengthen its presence in the gaming business with this operation, thereby reinforcing its leadership position in the India gaming and entertainment business,” the company said in its BSE filing.
Gambling and sports betting is also legal in Sakkim, and could be normalized in the state of Maharashtra, home of the capital, Mumbai (Bombay) after the Bombay High Court directed the state to deliver its opinion on a law passed in 1976 that seems to legalize gambling there. The first order was issued in March with another 6 month demand for clarity in September. The state of Karnataka is also seeks to offer gambling.
Mumbai is the most populous city in the country with over 20 million citizens.
Delta Corp is currently the largest gambling purveyor in the country.