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Goa casinos to be shut until 31st March

We’re seeing a massive health scare across the world due to the rapid spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), and India has been no exception to the disease. We’ve had massive sporting events being cancelled including South Africa’s tour of India and all domestic cricket events. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has also been postponed to 15th April 2020.

While most state governments were taking relevant action to make sure they don’t let the virus spread, Goa wasn’t too far behind. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant yesterday announced the shutting down of all casinos and educational institutions in the state until 31st March, in the wake of the COVID-19 scare.

While educational institutions are being shut across India, the closing of casinos will be a big hit to Goa revenues, as people from across India travel to play in Goa casinos. With the global count of coronavirus cases reaching 150,000 and the Indian count also crossing 100 cases, one can call this a good move by the Goa government.

However, it also means existing events scheduled in these casinos stand to be cancelled. One such series scheduled for later this month was the Deltin Poker Tournament Xpress (DPTX) March Edition which was supposed to run between 26-29 March at the Deltin Jaqk Casino. Just a couple of weeks back, another DPTX edition recently concluded in Goa.

“Unfortunate that the world is facing a crisis currently with the COVID-19 virus. We were optimistic to roll out the second edition of the DPT X, which has a fantastic start to the series. It’s important to stay safe at these times, and postponing the event is in line with ‘Social Distancing,’ which is has been prescribed as our first line of defense. I hope the situation improves, and the world comes back to normalcy sooner than later,” said Manish Adnani, Business Head – Poker, Delta Corp.

While the current suspension of casino activities is till 31st March, a call on the future will be taken in coming days. In the next month, Casino Pride 2 is also hosting the first ever National Poker Series and that also seems in doubt the way things are going at the moment. Amidst the entire COVID-19 scare though, we’re expecting the online poker industry to boom globally, which could also pave way for its global legalization.

For more updates on the situation in Goa and across the gaming industry of India, stay tuned to GutshotMagazine.com.

Check out our online poker rooms section, where you can read reviews on the biggest and best poker rooms in the country, while also taking advantage of their bonuses and promotions. Check out these top poker rooms HERE.

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