- NET Web Desk
The Meghalaya Chief Minister – Conrad K Sangma has ruled out the possibility of abolishing the ‘Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021’, arguing that doing so might lead the state face Rs 10 crore revenue loss.
He stated that the Act is essential to control the existing gambling parlours in the hill state that have been in operation for the past 25 years.
Addressing the mediapersons on Friday, Sangma asserted that “If we abolish (the Act), there will be nothing to regulate and we will lose close to Rs 8 crore to Rs 10 crore in revenue”.
His remarks came in response to rising calls from certain Church bodies and organizations to repeal the ‘Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021’.
The chief minister, on the other hand, assured that the state government had no plans to build casinos in or around the state’s major towns and cities.
He remarked that state administration is open to dialogues and finding methods to resolve any concerns about the issue, because gaming has existed in Meghalaya for a long time and is well accepted by society.
“To be honest, we do require revenue. Because we have a revenue shortfall, we rely heavily on revenues and taxes from the central government. In that scenario, we’ll have a tremendous difficulty in the forthcoming years, since there are so many other activities coming-up and funds are required to operate such activities,” the chief minister further added.
