Goa, a state in Western India is a tourist paradise known for its natural beaches and scenic beauty. The number of tourists visiting the state has constantly increased over the years. It has increased at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.2 per cent between FY2009 and FY2020 and has reached 8.1 million.

Diving into Casino and Gambling Industry of Goa: The first casino in Goa opened in 1999. Currently, Goa has 14 casinos in total. Six casino vessels anchored in the Mandovi river and eight land-based casinos operating out of five-star hotels. Over the past nine years, the state’s onshore and off-shore casinos have indeed contributed tax revenues of about US$175 million.

The Delta Corp Group and the Pride Group chiefly dominate the off-shore casino market in Goa. The Delta Group owns three off-shore gaming licenses, the Pride Group owns too and the MDLR group owns one.

Delta Corp Ltd., is the biggest casino operator in Goa. This is India’s lone public gaming and hospitality company. The group operates three off-shore gaming boats in the Mandovi river – Deltin Royale, Deltin Jaqk and Deltin Caravela. They also operate one onshore casino at Deltin Suites Casino hotel. In addition, they own a boutique hotel – Deltin Palms.

Deltin Jaqk

• Previously known as ‘Casino Royale’.
• Live off-shore gaming casino with three operational decks.
• Gaming area of over 11,000 sq. ft. with 50 tables, 30 slot machines and 400 live gaming positions.
• Dedicated dining and entertainment floor.

Deltin Caravala

• Refurbished and relaunched in 2016 as India’s first floatel casino (gaming plus accommodation). 
• High-end product focused exclusively for nascent VIP market.
• 107 gaming positions.
• Luxury-suites and spa facilities.

Deltin Suites is a land-based casino hotel with 106 rooms. It also operates a gaming area of around 3,000 sq. ft. It has 70 gaming positions, over 10 live gaming tables and slot machines. Deltin Palms is a 27-room boutique hotel.

The group is the second largest casino operator in Goa.

The Pride group started with Hotel Neo Majestic in 2007. The casinos operated by Pride Group have lower entry fees and cater more to mass customers. The group operates two off-shore casinos – Casino Pride and Casino Pride 2. The group also operates two small land-based casinos – Casino Palms and Casino Paradise.

The Casino and Gambling Industry of Goa is expected to witness unprecedented growth in the coming years due to the following reasons:

• The Consolidated Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy Circular 2017 prohibits FDI in lottery business. This includes government/private lottery, online lotteries, gambling and betting including casinos etc. Foreign technology collaboration is not possible under this policy. Currently, Casino Gambling is legal only in two Indian states. They are Goa and Sikkim and one Union Territory – Daman and Diu. 
• The State Government of Goa has the authority under law to issue licenses and rules to regulate casinos. These licenses are typically for a 10-year period. Licenses are the biggest entry-barriers. Strict regulations and a cap on the number of licenses makes it further difficult for new casinos to enter the market. Sikkim has only three casinos and Daman has one. Since Goa has the maximum number of casinos in India, it is the go-to-destination for gambling addicts.
• As seen in the table below, the application/renewal fee for casinos has increased to US$ 40,500 during FY18 from NIL in FY2015.

• There were some concerns such as traffic, pollution issues and disturbance to fishing for the off-shore casinos at Mandovi river. Thus, the State Government is planning to shift all its off-shore casinos to land by the end of 2021. Only after the international airport gets commissioned, this will be done. This move will actually be beneficial to the industry that has been demanding this for a long time. 
• The State Government is planning to shift all its off-shore casinos to land in the next few years. In fact, these casinos have an option to move to land at the Special Entertainment Zone. The state government has banned locals from gambling in all casinos from February 1, 2020.
• Once the on-shore casinos become operational, the off-shore operators have to give up their licenses and operate on-shore henceforth. The ‘New Casino Policy’ that was expected in 2018 is still awaited. After this comes up, the ‘Goa Public Gambling Act, 1976 (Amended in 2012)’ will get further amended. The Act allows on-shore casinos to be set-up only at five-star hotels or off-shore vessels. 
• The State Government has announced that no more permissions for casinos – both land-based and floating, would be granted in the state. Thus, the number of casinos in Goa would remain the same. Also, more number of tourists (growing at 10.4 per cent) would flock to these casinos in the coming years.

In India, at present only betting on horse racing is legal. Sikkim is the only state in India to have a law on online gaming in India. Sikkim also permits online lottery, taking bets from people all over India. Indian gamblers can visit international websites and play online casinos. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India has begun the groundwork to legalize online sports betting in India. 

The online gaming market in India is estimated at US$ 1.1 billion in 2019 and is estimated to reach US$ 2.8 billion by 2022. Online gambling is a part of this growing market. With the limited number of casinos in the country, Indian gamblers are turning to online gambling. Thus, online gambling is the upcoming trend in the Indian casino market.