Mon. Mar 18th, 2024

Goa is a lot more than just beaches. Besides beaches, it is adorned with exquisite churches, Portuguese style small colorful cottages, water sports, parties and carnivals. Apart from all these, Goa is also known for its casinos. It is one of the rare states, besides Daman and Gangtok, to have a legalized system of casinos. The casino in Goa is either on offshore properties like the cruises or five-star hotels.

Along with being the most sought after tourist destination, Goa is also known for its glamorous casinos. SOURCE: thrillophilia.com

Tourists flock in large numbers to Goa solely to experience this extravaganza. Since it is so rare and controversial, it naturally attracts crowds. A large part of the revenue comes from these casinos. The fact that if not in Goa, people may have to visit neighboring countries for experience in casinos, keep people coming to these casinos. You can know more about the best casino in Goa.

The Casino Controversy

Casinos enjoy a dual reputation all over the world. Some think of it as an addictive character tarnishing habit. It has the ill reputation of being a source of money laundering as well. While on the other hand, the taxes levied from casinos has been very instrumental in the growth of a state. The large sum of money that comes as tax from casinos can be utilized in other sectors of development which really requires the fund. Thus, it is an eternal dilemma of whether casinos should be legalized or not. The casino in Goa has managed to attain legalization solely because of the state’s reputation of being a tourist destination. The fact that Goa is already a hub of parties and nightlife, has eased the normalization of casinos.

However, these casinos are required to maintain strict rules in order to get a license. Even the guests are supposed to maintain a code of conduct and decorum or they can be turned out easily. They are also required to pay taxes to maintain the license. Casino in Goa is often found entangled in controversy.

Casino Tax Probes In Goa

Recently, a lot of tax probes regarding the payment of casino taxes in Goa has been under the spotlight. The Indian tax agency has put a casino in Goa under investigation. And not just one but several of them and even the best ones. It is alleged that they were evading service tax for a long time. 

Officers from the DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) raided the casinos for failing to respond to and clear their tax notices. These casinos are supposed to pay 15 per cent license fees which they failed at. A writ petition has been filed against this claim of tax from the government which argues that a license fee is absurd since the license itself is a permit.

The debate goes a long way and involves a lot of complicated procedures. However, some tax experts have given their opinions siding with casino owners expressing the claim to be illegitimate. 

Denizen Entry Rules

The casino in Goa is known to be very strict in their code of conduct. They have laid down some basic rules which are standard in almost all the casinos there. For instance, Deltin group have their own set of terms and conditions. It is done to control and bawdy behavior. Let us have a look at those.

  1. Anyone who wishes to enter a casino must be above the age of 21 years. He/she must carry valid government identification documents for verification. If in any case, you fail to produce valid documents, you may be turned out. International guests must carry their passports.
  2. They maintain a strict dress code. No informal like half pants, shorts, flip-flops, Bermuda is allowed. One must be dressed either in formals or smart casuals. 
  3. The casinos do not permit you to carry any harmful objects or drugs. You are also not supposed to carry alcohol to the casino. 
  4. Photography is strictly prohibited inside casinos. 
  5. There may be a kid’s room available, in which case a female companion should always be present with the kid. No adult men are allowed to enter the kid’s room.
  6. Smoking is allowed only in designated spaces.
  7. The management may refrain from serving alcohol to any individual if he shows signs of extreme drunkenness. They may even be turned out if they exhibit any violent or unruly behavior. 

Different casinos have their own rules which may vary slightly but the aforementioned regulations are pretty much the standardized regulations. Hence, if you plan to visit one of the casinos in Goa, you must keep all these in mind. Many visit the casinos in Goa as their first experience and not being totally alert of the rules, and eventually, they regret it. Remembering these rules will make you aware of what you should do and what not to which in turn will make your visit a memorable and pleasant one.  

 

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