Cabinet nod for 10% increase in annual casino fee

Panaji: While the state cabinet on Wednesday increased the annual recurring fee for casinos by 10%, it also granted another six months extension to the relaxation period for payment of those fees.

Currently, the recurring fees for onshore casinos range from Rs 10 crore to Rs 40 crores, whereas for offshore casinos, the fees are from Rs 25 crore to Rs 40 crore. Goa has six offshore and 10 onshore casinos.

The total revenue generated from all casinos on account of the annual recurring fees for the financial year 2022-23 has been assessed at Rs 320 crore.

The cabinet note said that considering the background of the prolonged global pandemic and representations from stakeholders, the government intends to further extend the relaxation regarding payment of the fees for a further six months on a monthly pro-rata basis from April 1, 2022, till September 2022, with an increase in the annual recurring fees by 10%.

The finance department has opined that since the approval of the department was not obtained for the earlier extension, it cannot grant its approval for the present extension proposed. However, the finance department has no objection to the 10% hike in fees.