Two casinos in Goa ordered to close

GOA, India - Two casinos have been forced to shut down in Goa after officials said they did not have the required licences. The Casino Royale and the Arabian Sea King Casino were both ordered to close. Both are floating casinos on the Mandovi river.

The casinos apparently failed to get a mandatory shipping licence to anchor on the river, although other reports suggest they may have violated anti-gambling laws.

The casinos were apparently warned that they did not have the necessary licences on 12 December and asked for more time to obtain them. This was not granted and both casinos were closed, meaning that half of the six casinos on the Goan river have now been shut down.

Shares in Delta Corp, owner of the Casino Royale, dropped more than 8 per cent on the Indian Stock Exchange as investors digested the bad news.