In Goa, the rules for the regulation of casino operations in the Indian state have been approved by the law department. Once approved by the chief minister, they will be forwarded to the cabinet, The Times of India reports.
According to the local news agency, a department official had confirmed that the law department “vetted the draft rules” for casinos. The official reportedly said, “Upon approval by the chief minister, who is also the home minister, we will place the file for approval of the cabinet.” He added, “The chief minister may suggest some changes. Upon effecting those changes, the draft rules will be sent for cabinet approval,” according to The Times of India.
The draft rules’ significant provisions reportedly include prohibiting Goans from casinos and banning individuals less than 21 years of age from them. The process of instituting gaming commission rules was initiated in 2013; however, due to the shuffling of the draft rules between various departments within the state government, no progress was made in the interim.
When the Goa Public Gambling Act 1976 was amended in 2012, many terms had reportedly been defined by the state government, including electronic gaming, the area of the casino, offshore, live gaming, offshore casino, passenger capacity and onshore casino.
According to the news agency, the chief minister can either appoint an IAS officer for the gaming commissioner or be chosen from the state cadre.