(AsiaGameHub) – A large casino ship with room for 2,000 people will not be permitted to take the place of a smaller 70-passenger boat on the Mandovi River in India. On May 6, the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court blocked the 112-meter, seven-deck MV Deltin Royale from joining the group of river-based casinos currently operating on the water.
The ruling was issued by Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit Jamsandekar. They determined that the ship cannot enter Panjim Port without a valid survey certificate confirming its seaworthiness. Furthermore, the court specified that even if the required documentation for entry is obtained, the ship is prohibited from entering the port without explicit judicial approval.
Environmentalists vs. operators
Many residents of Goa have long voiced their opposition to river casinos, arguing that they contaminate the estuary and harm the local fishing industry.
Conservationists allege that local authorities allowed the massive Deltin Royale to dock even though port officials warned it could lead to navigational dangers and congestion at mooring sites. In a legal petition, they highlighted that the Deltin Royale’s guest capacity is greater than that of all six existing river casinos combined.
Father Bolmax Pereira, representing the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman’s Commission for Ecology, praised the court’s decision, according to a report by UCA News.
“The dispute over this casino ship is not just a single conflict, but a sign of a growing environmental consciousness in Goa,” he remarked. Pereira described the situation as a symbol of a broader trend of unsustainable growth in sensitive ecological regions.
Gaming as economic pillar
Gambling is permitted in only three of India’s 36 states and union territories: Goa, Sikkim, and Daman and Diu. Goa, frequently referred to as the “Las Vegas of India,” is home to 13 casinos, with seven located on land and six on the water. As reported by the Goa Herald, the state government earned ₹353.78 crore (US$37 million) from the casino sector in 2022-23. Revenue reached a peak of ₹603.76 crore in 2023-24, while the state collected ₹461.71 crore from the industry during the 2024-25 fiscal year.
The court will continue to hear testimony from local critics and the ship’s operator, Delta Pleasure Cruise Company Ltd. A follow-up hearing has been set for July 6. Additionally, the court directed officials to conduct an investigation into a large-scale fish die-off that occurred in the capital city of Panaji this past April.
In March, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant indicated that the state does not intend to grant licenses for any additional offshore casinos.
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