The state government may have caved in to public pressure to freeze the introduction of casinos to Meghalaya but the government is not willing to entertain the suggestion that the Regulation of Gaming Act 2021, which paved the way for casinos in the first place, should be scrapped.
Speaking to reporters today, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that there had been a lot of misconceptions about the legislation, which, he said, is required to bring in some controls of gambling and betting activities that were hitherto unregulated.
Under the act, gaming and jackpot parlours that otherwise operate without licences would be brought under the act, which would prescribe rules for such establishments and earn the government revenue from taxing them.
The whole point of the casinos was that Meghalaya would seek to draw in tourists who want to gamble but that the facilities would be off limits to local punters, which is ironic given the opposition to the project, much of which centred on the dangers casinos posed on the morals of the local population.
“It was precisely achieving the objective which everybody wants, which is that the local youth should not be allowed in,” Sangma said of the act. “Hence the question of repealing doesn’t arise because this is an act that is required to regulate the existing games and also regulate the people who are playing in these different areas.”
Concerning the setting up of casinos, Sangma reiterated the government’s stand to not go ahead with it after seeing the strong opposition from various stakeholders.
