In India, last week reportedly saw local firm Golden Play Pvt Limited receive a provisional license that will allow it to prepare the groundwork in advance of opening a new casino inside the Hotel D’Wang in the northeastern city of Gangtok.

According to a report from GLaws.in, the six-month interim authorization was received on December 13 and permits Golden Play Pvt Limited, which is a subsidiary of Mumbai-headquartered Golden Gaming International Pvt Limited, to bring in the appropriate gambling infrastructure and technology ahead of applying for a ‘go live’ operational casino license.

Gangtok is the capital of the Indian state of Sikkim, which one of only three Indian jurisdictions that permit casino gambling, and GLaws.in reported that Golden Play Pvt Limited now expects to start gambling operations inside the five-star Hotel D’Wang by the end of April.

Should it eventually receive the expected operating license, the casino inside the Hotel D’Wang will reportedly be the fourth such facility in Sikkim alongside the nearby Mayfair Spa, Resort and Casino, Casino Deltin Denzong and The Royal Plaza Hotel.

Manoj Sethi from Golden Play Pvt Limited reportedly told GLaws.in that the new casino inside the Hotel D’Wang will feature a 1,200 sq ft gaming floor and serve to complement ‘the online sportsbetting and gaming services that are already being offered’. He purportedly stated that the firm moreover has plans to expand into ‘other states and territories where casinos are permitted’ including neighboring Nepal where it has already applied for a gambling license for the Hotel Cygnett Inn Krishna in the border city of Nepalgunj and expects to begin operations during first quarter of 2018.