SHILLONG, April 27: The Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad Kongkal Sangma said that gambling activities have been present in the state for 25 years and now the step taken is to recognise them by instating rules and regulations.
Speaking with media persons on Wednesday, Sangma said that while they have been operational there have not been proper rules and regulations to control them, and as such he feels that the time is now right to regulate the operations now so that the State may also earn proper revenue from them.
Turning to the proposal to introduce casinos, Sangma again categorically stated that the Government needs ways to generate revenue so that necessary expenditure of paying salaries for all the government employees can be met.
Sangma further stated that in order to ensure that the youths and people of the State are not affected or are led to gambling addiction, the Government has allowed the setting up of these casinos at the interstate border area with Guwahati, which are places beyond Khanapara or Byrnihat, because in these places, gambling is a thriving activity already.
