Punjab plans its very own Las Vegas

pmaitra

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Punjab plans its very own Las Vegas

Rohan Dua, TNN | Aug 3, 2012, 01.57AM IST
Times of India


CHANDIGARH: Forget about canting off to Macau or Las Vegas strip to roll a dice and revel in a tantalising gambling carousal.

Get ready to spin a ball on a little wheel popularly called roulette, see it running around and cheerfully call a bet to the croupier, as you quaff colas and gorge peanuts -- all on the banks of the Satluj river in the rural hinterland of Punjab.

Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, known for his flamboyance and CEO style of functioning, has ordered the state's infrastructure development agency Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) to set up a Las Vegas strip-like casino at Mattewara village near Ludhiana.

A three-member team comprising a PIDB official and two members from an empanelled private agency Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) was sent on a four-day visit to Goa last week to study and explore the possibility of installing slot machines and casinos in Punjab, set to become third state in the country after Sikkim and Goa to have casinos.

According to the state visit report, a copy of which is with TOI, the team -- which returned on Thursday -- held meetings with Goa chief secretary P K Shrivastav and special secretary Mohan Lal and had a first hand experience of slot machines in casinos in Panjim.

The casinos planned in Mattewara will have around 30-50 slot machines, video pokers and card games like baccarat, blackjack, pontoon and sicbo and will be open 24 hours.

"These casinos which we are planning are a part of our recreational amusement zone project near Ludhiana. The purpose is to increase the tourist footfall in the state. Our team has just returned from Goa after studying casinos. We're going to seek more advice and help on legal, technical and operational details from Sikkim and Goa governments," PIDB managing director Anurag Aggarwal told TOI.

The Punjab government is likely to discuss the Public Gambling Act, 1867 in its next Assembly session.

The casinos will be built both inside hotels or stand alone on a PPP model near the river.

The initial report has suggested borrowing legal framework from Goa where an annual licence fee of Rs 5 crore is paid by the hotel housing the casinos and an entry fee between Rs 500-Rs 1,000 is charged to every visitor.

Like the exisiting Punjab lotteries system, the casinos are also likely to generate revenue of around Rs 100 crore annunally.

However, Punjab finance minister Parminder Dhindsa debunked the analogy between lotteries and casinos, saying the latter is only for recreational purpose.

"The process is in the initial stages. Casinos will certainly be a big revenue generator. The purpose is not create forced taxation here. We only want to encourage local tourism because when you see the locals from here going to Nepal or Hong Kong, they spend huge money to enjoy these games. Times have changed.But we agree, there might be some criticism as well," said Dhindsa.

Out of 1,400 acres of proposed landscaped area surrounded by thick forests and water bodies, Mattewara village is already set to have a horse racing turf on a 140-acre land, golf course on a 200-acre land and an amusement park.

Three multi-national companies including -- Populace , S Powers and JAA Consultants -- have already made bids for offering consultancy services for the horse racing tracks.

US-based game park company Six Flags is likely to construct the amusement part.

Source: Punjab plans its very own Las Vegas - The Times of India
 

Raj30

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aren't casino ,gambling banned in India??
 

anoop_mig25

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so would punjab las vegas would have laws as of Las vegas . i mean that related to marraiges and what they says "what happen in vegas satys in vegas"
 

Predator

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so would punjab las vegas would have laws as of Las vegas . i mean that related to marraiges and what they says "what happen in vegas satys in vegas"
no marriages, only jua khelne and barbad hona
 

Bangalorean

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Additionally, it would be nice if they had live dancers whom we can pick up there. And lots of hotels and restaurants in the surrounding area.
 

sayareakd

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Additionally, it would be nice if they had live dancers whom we can pick up there. And lots of hotels and restaurants in the surrounding area.
Lol things are getting dirty, Mumbai bar girls will have new Destination.
 

Bangalorean

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Lol things are getting dirty, Mumbai bar girls will have new Destination.
I always say, if you do something, do it well. You want to compete with Las Vegas and Macau, do it properly. No half-assed measures.

I don't think some place in rural Punjab is a good choice of venue though. Have it in Greater Noida or Manesar (Delhi), Hosur or Devanahalli (Bangalore), etc. That will really work.

We can make a public statement about this, and Narendra Modi will certainly offer land in Gujarat for this venture. Now, all he needs to do is get rid of silly prohibition laws in Gujarat, and Ahmedabad will be an ideal place for this too.
 

sob

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At least the officials are being sent to Goa and Sikkim for study tours and not Macau or Las Vegas.
 

Ray

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Punjab will become a happening State and it will become a great cash cow to fill the coffers of the Govt as also of the political Party in power.

A brilliant plan.

will they have showgirls Vegas style?
They will chuck in a gidda to show the cultural aspect and be PC but then the crowd will still go berserk with ecstasy seeing the jostling and jumping upper decks.

Balle, Balle and all that pizzazz!
 
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The Messiah

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I'll be making weekend road trips if it happens :)
 

SADAKHUSH

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Marta kya na karta! As if drugs and liquor is not enough to bankrupt the folks in Punjab and now you can add this to cash generating machine for do-nothing Government of Akalidal -BJP coalition.
 

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