Meghalaya bring in casinos, online gambling and gaming for tourists
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Shillong, Apr 23: The picturesque north-eastern state of Meghalaya has drawn up big plans to bring in casinos and on-line gambling and gaming for tourists to rake in much needed revenues, top officials said.
Taxation Minister James PK Sangma said the state government has come up with the Gaming Act following which the Gaming Rules 2021 will facilitate issuing of licenses to operators to conduct games of skill and chance both in online and offline version.
"As we have seen in many states, this venture has positive impacts not just in terms of GST revenues but also in terms of generating a lot of employment opportunities from the vibrant tourism industry," Sangma told PTI.
The move to get into gaming in a big way comes some forty years after archery-based betting was first legalized in Meghalaya, raking in big revenue to the state's exchequer
The Khasi Hills Archery Sport Association conducts the well-known 'Shillong Teer', an archery-based lottery. A group of 12 archery clubs are part of the association where every day, 50 archers shoot 30 arrows each at 3:45 pm and 20 arrows in the second round at 4:45 pm.
Bettors predict the last two digits of the total number of arrows that hit the target and they can place their bets in 1500 legalised teer counters across the state.
An official of the taxation department said legal betting through 'Shillong Teer' generated Rs 1.1 crore revenue during 2014-15 and nearly 2 crore in 2018-19.
However,
this
time
round
the
state
will
allow
only
tourists
and
visitors
to
participate
in
these
gaming
and
betting
counters
after
providing
valid
proofs
of
being
travellers
from
other
states
or
countries.
While
Meghalaya
was
one
of
the
first
states
to
legalize
archery-based
gambling,
it
will
now
become
the
third
state
in
the
northeast
to
legalize
gambling
-
both
online
and
off-line.
Sikkim
and
Nagaland
have
also
allowed
regulated
gaming
and
betting
businesses.
Discussions on how to make 'Shillong Teer' more profitable and widely accepted globally have taken place since 2012-13 onwards but the final push came when the Taxation Minister met representatives of the UK India Business Council and other business houses to discuss the possibilities.
The
UKIBC
in
its
report
to
the
state
government,
said
the
state
is
the
most
gaming-friendly
state
in
India
and
concluded
that
lottery,
poker,
rummy,
casino
and
fantasy
sports
would
do
well
here.
The
new
rules
on
gaming
and
betting,
however,
did
not
go
well
with
everyone
in
the
state.
Newly formed political outfit, the Voice of the People said that most Meghalayans have always considered any form of gambling as a social evil, and protested the move to allow opening up of casinos and gaming bars.
Former legislator and VPP president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said, "The aim of the state government to open casinos in the state and make the state famous for its gambling cannot be accepted as we all know the Meghalaya people have never accepted such games of chance." Basaiawmoit instead suggested the state look at encouraging start-ups.
Possibly to stem opposition from conservatives in the state the state government has decreed that the rules will allow only tourists to play big in the casinos it hopes to attract to the state.