Deltin Opens New Casino In South Goa As Illegal iGaming Continues To Flourish
The newest gaming hub in South Goa is now open. Deltin Zuri, the in-house casino at The Zuri White Sand Resorts, opened its doors on June 1 under the management of India’s leading luxury gaming and entertainment brand, Deltin. This follows the successful operational handover of the casino to Delta Corp Ltd, Deltin’s parent company, in early May.
South Goa’s First Luxury Gaming Hub
The Deltin brand is well-known for its diverse offerings in terms of gaming, live entertainment, and fine dining. Those visiting the newly opened Deltin Zuri will enjoy the same signature experiences associated with an award-winning gaming and hospitality brand, which has, over the years, established a reputation for providing top-of-the-line services to both domestic customers and tourists.
Being the first luxury casino to operate in South Goa, Deltin Zuri will boost the district’s tourism and hospitality industry.
The casino joins a list of exclusive land-based gaming venues under the Deltin brand, including Deltin Casino International – Kathmandu, Deltin Suites – Goa, and Deltin Denzong-Gangtok. The brand also owns and operates two of Asia’s most popular floating casinos, Deltin Royale and Deltin Jack, which are both anchored in Goa.
Deltin CEO Anil Malani said they’re excited to welcome all guests and gaming enthusiasts to their seventh casino located in a state home to a vibrant gaming and tourism sector. Malani said they’re keen on creating remarkable experiences for customers through a great blend of luxury gaming, live entertainment, splendid sceneries, and delectable cuisines.
Deltin – Multi-Award Winning Brand
In recent years, Deltin has received numerous recognitions, including The Economic Times Best Brand, Times Hospitality India’s Most Iconic Casino (Deltin Royale), and Midday Icons Leader in Gaming & Entertainment. It also won the Yatra Customer Choice Award for Best Leisure Hotel in 2021.
Deltin is owned by Delta Corp Ltd, the only listed gaming and hospitality company in India. Apart from making a name in the casino hotel and entertainment industry, the company also has a presence in the online gaming sector, having acquired Gauss Networks Private Limited, which owns India’s leading online poker site, Adda52.com.
Illegal Online Gambling Dens Spreading Like Wildfire in Goa
Land-based casinos in Goa are facing a growing challenge from illegal online casinos. This has become a big challenge for the authorities, with the state’s most populated areas quickly turning into a hotspot for illegal gambling dens. The proliferation of such operations adds to the existing burden of law enforcers who are also struggling to put an end to matka, another form of illegal gambling popular in the Indian market.
Online Gambling More Addictive than Matka
In recent months, Goa’s Crime Branch carried out a series of raids in the state’s urban centers, laden with illicit operators that offer online gambling. In crowded areas like Margao, Mapusa, Panaji, and Vasco, illegal gambling dens are everywhere, attracting migrant laborers, casual workers, contractors, and students.
Illegal online gambling is proving to have a more detrimental impact on gamblers than matka betting as the activity requires more money. In contrast to matka, which can be played with just a few rupees, in online gambling, the price is higher as players need to pay a minimum cost to get in. From that, they can spend more without limits.
Players are also more prone to addiction as online games run all day promising huge payouts, compared to matka, where payouts are only released twice a day.
Online gambling is also largely run by entities not from Goa, compared to matka operators who are mostly part of the local communities. Illegal online gambling operators also exert more effort to conceal their activities, which explains why the dens are usually located in private buildings and hidden premises not easily noticed by the public eye.
Despite the raids and arrests, the demand for online gambling continues to grow in Goa and across the country. It is certainly a lucrative market, more profitable than matka, so illegal operators don’t bother investing massive sums in software, apps, computer systems, and other equipment needed to run their operations.
Campaigners Call for Crackdown on Online Gambling in Goa
Since 2020, state authorities have made dozens of arrests linked to illegal online gambling across the state, the latest of which took place in April and May this year when over 20 individuals were apprehended in separate raids in Margao. In those raids, police officers also confiscated more than Rs 50 lakh, which is only the tip of the iceberg.
There will be no end to illegal online gambling in Goa unless each gambling den is shut down, which is why social activists and anti-gambling campaigners are calling for an extensive crackdown on such operations.
