SHILLONG, Sep 15: Facing relentless pressure from Church bodies and NGOs over the granting of temporary licences to three applicants to run casinos, the state government has decided to retreat from its decision. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday said the government will first try to take the people into confidence before casinos are set up in the state.
The CM said the Gaming Act was implemented to regularise the existing gaming or jackpot parlours in Shillong and other parts of the state, as they have been functioning without any regulation for several years.
“At the same time, the government had the option of online and offline gaming. We thought if a gaming zone far from the city can be established, the government would be able to earn substantial revenue for catering to the needs of the teachers, schools and hospitals,” the CM said.
“We had calculated this sector had the potential of giving us revenue of approximately Rs 500 crore a year to overcome the difficulty arising out of the mining ban. And by setting up a gaming zone far from the city for revenue generation, we wanted to minimise the impact on our youths,” Sangma said.
He said the government started receiving messages from the church and other organisations for a rethink on the casino plan. “We stopped the process (for starting casinos) following these messages but the public debate had started by then,” he added.
Stating that the provisional licenses issued will lapse automatically if the process is not started within a certain timeframe, the CM said the government immediately put a stop to all the paperwork.
He said the government comes up with ideas for generating revenue but puts on the brakes whenever people express concern or are opposed to them.
Organisations such as the Khasi Jaintia Christian Leaders’ Forum, the Hynniewtrep Youth Council and traditional heads of Ri-Bhoi district had protested against the government’s casino move.
