For casino operators, the cost of doing business in Goa, India just got a lot higher.
Pramod Sawant, chief minister of Goa, India, has announced a threefold increase in licensing fees for new casino operators, plus steep hikes in annual licence rates, application costs and transfer fees.
Sawant presented the state’s 2026-27 budget to the Legislative Assembly on Friday. “The fee for setting up new casinos in the state will be increased by 200% over the current existing fee in this financial year,” he told House members. The fee applies to land-based casinos only, he clarified.
“No new offshore casino would be allowed,” Sawant later told journalists. “The number of offshore casinos is fixed at six. The fee increase is only for those who apply to set up new onshore casinos in the state.”
The government has also proposed adjusting licence rates for liquor shops and restaurants, which could also affect the casino industry. Under the plan, licences to open those enterprises would stand at 2 million rupees. But the fee for transferring the licences would rise to 2.5 million rupees.
Sawant said the budget supports the goals of “Viksit Goa 2037”, a broad-based strategy for economic growth that spans infrastructure, education, healthcare and sustainable development.
Land-based licence change linked to new offshore casino
Goa is a former Portuguese colony on India’s west coast and the only state where casino gambling is legal. The sector launched in 1961, when lawmakers liberalised the gambling law to permit casinos in hotels or clubs. In the early 1990s, they further amended the law to legalise offshore casinos. Presently, Goa hosts 13 casinos: seven on land and six on ships anchored on the Mandovi River in Panaji.
But the latter have always generated environmental concerns among residents of Panaji, who complain about crowded river traffic and the negative impact on fisheries. Some also oppose casinos on religious grounds. Many times over the years, officials have vowed to relocate the floating casinos to other waterways, without success. According to The Goan, the announcement of higher land-based casino licence fees coincides with protests by locals who oppose a massive, 2,000-passenger casino boat that allegedly will replace an existing smaller casino ship.
Retired Allahabad Chief Justice Ferdino Rebello, associated with the country’s sweeping Enough is Enough activist movement, told the Times of India a petition is in the works to contest the new boat and challenge other perceived irregularities in casino operations. “We are looking at some issues and by next week we will go ahead and file,” he said.
With the new budget, Sawant is seeking greater oversight of casinos both at sea and ashore without putting a lid on revenues. Recently the state proposed the appointment of a gambling commissioner to exercise authority over all gaming operations, from player profiling to anti-money laundering measures. The commissioner would have the power to shut down any casino in the state that violates the regulations.
Marjorie Preston
Marjorie began her gaming career in 2007 and has focused on Asian gaming markets since 2020. Outside of work, she writes about travel and film and plays the drums.
