INDIA – Uttar Pradesh rules out casino legalization
Comments made in state assembly debate spin usual moral codes
Uttar Pradesh Minister of Industrial Development Satish Mahana ruled out any move toward the legalization of casino gambling, in a statement made in state assembly debate.
“No, a casino is a certain type of gambling facility. By giving licenses to casinos, it will become difficult to prevent gambling, betting, and lotteries legally,” said Mahana, explaining further that legalized gambling would have a negative effect on the “economic and moral condition” of the people, as well as on law and order in the state.
Mahana was responding to a question from his Bharatiya Janata Party colleague Harshvardhan Bajpai who pointed to the example of Goa and suggested that casino development might boost tourism, increase tax revenue, and eliminate illegal gambling rackets.
