The Spiel
By Ricki Chavez-Munoz
If Goa’s floating casinos wish to land in the only Indian state that tolerates this segment of the gambling business, an international airport is not the best option. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant revealed to the legislative assembly, “that a concession agreement with a local infrastructure company could also allow the construction of casinos in a commercial zone close to the new Mopa airport.”
Whenever you visit a casino in an airport, from Schipol Airport in Amsterdam down to some slots play in places like Puerto Rico, gambling action is always low-key, stop-gap and kind of on-the-go, like fast food.
Years ago, legislation in Peru enabled casino gambling at international airports and, needless to say, this was taken as a brilliant idea by politicians and the tourist trade lobbies. One slots operation was set up at the country’s main international airport and apart from some of the airport employees almost no action was seen from the targeted market, the so-called jetsetters. The operation was closed down after a few months, tired of taking small change from curious passers-by and luggage handlers, and no other one was opened at any airport.
Casinos mostly are for local trade but still politicians come up with ideas about being hubs of tourism considered to be brilliant, because “Bugsy” Siegal thought about a gambling stopover place in the desert of Nevada after the Second World War, at The Flamingo in Las Vegas. There will not be another Las Vegas in the world. And whoever says that Macau is Las Vegas’s equal in China does not know that casinos were effectively operating in the old Portuguese colony since1930, when the Hou Heng Company won the monopoly concession for operating all forms of endorsed casino games.
As Macau casino gambling flourished, Siegel was still a gangster and killer and “one of the founders and leaders of Murder, Inc.” in Chicago. The port city of Macau already was the gambling centre of the Far East, where gambling had been popular since the 16thCentury. These days with its Las Vegas style resorts, Macau outstrips Las Vegas in gambling revenue several times over.
The Goa airport idea by Sawant is just another wild shot at relocating the floating casinos away from the Mandovi River in 2-3 years’ time, when the Mopa airport should be completed, and where “casinos would be reserved for airline passengers only.” Rather than landing safely, the Goa floating casinos would drown badly on terra firma.
If Goa really wants a good casino industry, shifting its offshore casinos from the Mandovi River to Aguada Bay would seem to be the best solution, as we reported last week. If the Goa government is seriously examining the possibility of relocating the floating casinos, the Aguada Bay beaches are a far better option and might indeed realistically compete with Macau and Singapore in a few years hence. Las Vegas it won’t be but is likely to perform as well or better than the old Nevada desert stop-over.
