The Goa government, eager to attract high-end tourists, has embraced casinos. However, in anticipation of the G20 Summit, taking place from April to July this year, the state is taking measures to protect its image. Overnight, metal barricades with casino branding in capital of the Indian state of Goa – Panaji have been covered with white cloth pieces to prevent any potential tarnishing of Goa’s reputation.
According to the local media, Surendra Furtado, a former mayor of Panaji, expressed shock at a move from the Goa government to use Corporate Social Responsibility funds to obscure the names of casinos from road barricades in the city. He attributed this to the desire to avoid displaying the influence of the casinos on the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led administration to visiting G20 delegates.
In the early 2000s, the first offshore casinos were built in Goa to meet the demands of the increasing volume of tourists visiting the place. In 2021, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the casino industry had contributed revenue of over Rs 1277.29 crore ($155 million) to the State exchequer since 2012.
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