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Goa Law Minister Francis D’Souza Supports Matka Gambling Legalization

India is well-known for its always evolving gaming field ready to work towards the introduction of new and better casino offerings and the Indian state of Goa has dedicated the year 2018 to major changes. According to the most recent announcement coming from the Law Minister of Goa, Francis D’Souza who stated that the regional gambling industry is ready to broaden the variety of offerings, one of them being the popular lottery game of matka or satta.

Matka gambling has been widely popular across Mumbai back in the decades of 1980s and 1990s when people were invested in the gaming offering and enjoyed it as a pastime. When it comes to its origins it involved betting on the opening and closing rates of cotton which was transmitted to the Bombay Cotton Exchange with the help of the widely-spread teleprinters. This is what made the activity attractive to its players and slowly but surely matka became one of the thriving industries.

Back in 1995, the ultimate number of bookies ready to provide players with their preferred gaming activity reached 2,000, however, shortly after that the overall popularity of the game began declining and at the moment it is considered illegal in the state of Goa. India has been going through quite the development when it comes to the gambling industry and as an emerging market, it could benefit from the new gaming options available to the players.

Ways for Improvement of the Gaming Field

There is also the need for the introduction of new gambling offerings to the sector since people demonstrate their interest towards them, as they seek new opportunities for entertainment. Lottery and horse racing have been the primary gambling branches, but the underground sports betting industry is experiencing quite the interest in the recent years, especially when it comes to betting on cricket matches across the country and football in certain states.

Now that gambling is allowed at casino venues the introduction of matka as a legal gaming option is considered once again. The issue with it is that it is practiced in an illegal manner at the moment and it would be better if the gaming revenue from it is utilized for the improvement of the community. This complication could be easily resolved with the legalization of the lottery game. According to Mr. D’Souza, the government of Goa should not find this move difficult for accomplishment since it does not need to spend time waiting for a special legislation to be devised.

The state government has the power to give green light to the gaming offering which is currently enjoyed by people of all spheres of the community and is sure to bring benefits to the field. Once the authorities have reached the conclusion that they could not eliminate the problem involving illegal matka lottery participation, the only logical move would be for them to make the best of the given situation and give the nod to it.



 Author: Hannah Wallace

Hannah Wallace has been part of our team since the website was launched. She has a master’s degree in IT.
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