Casinos across Goa are set to recommence from November 1, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday. The casino operations in Goa were halted from past seven months in the wake of rising cases of novel coronavirus in the state. Declaring the reopening of casinos, the Chief Minister also said casino authorities would permit 50 per cent capacity.

"Casinos will resume from November 1. We have given them permission. They will have to follow all the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) as declared to them by the Home Department. They will have to operate with maximum 50 per cent capacity. We need to promote tourism activity," the Chief Minister told a post-cabinet press conference on Wednesday.

The casinos, which are an important contributor to the state’s revenue, have been requesting the government to permit the restart of operations, which they said would help boost the tourism arrivals in the coastal state and provide an added attraction to tourists visiting the state after months.

The coastal state comprises of six offshore casinos, which are anchored in the Mandovi river off Panaji and almost 10 onshore casinos functioning from the number of five star resorts situated in the state's coastal belt.

On the other side, the Chief Minister of Goa has also said that the license fee for beach shacks has been curtailed by 50 per cent.