Coronavirus has caused a havoc everywhere around the world and this has majorly impacted the global economy. One of the most devastated industries right now is poker and casino, which has been greatly affected by COVID-19. All the casinos have been shut down and there is no information on when it will be re-open.
In India, the major ruled casino state Goa has been under complete lockdown since mid-March. During April the state was one of the least affected in India with only 7 positive cases, and the situation even improved after 4th April when no positive cases were further registered. Finally, in mid-April the state was declared COVID-19 free, and even after this the government is not ready to lift-up the lockdown taking additional prevention. The government of Goa has decided to extend the lockdown for the casinos, night clubs and schools etc.
The Health Minister of Goa Jose D’Sa has ordered the state to extend the lockdown for establishments like casinos, schools, nightclubs etc. until further notice. The order has come a day after the Union government permitted local-area shops to open for business, under the provisional of the Epidemic Act, 1987.
The order has clearly suggested that all these premises are likely to be closed for a long time. This will certainly affect the poker industry where revenues are getting lower with each passing day. The people and workers associated with this are also suffering a major drawback from the situation.
The Business Head (Poker) of Delta Corp. of Poker Guru said,” Nations Health first, so definitely we need to adhere to whatever is required from that perspective.”
The other statement came from Chriag Sodha who recently made headlines for winning the Adda52’s 1 Crore GTD Full House for his career-best score of INR 25 Lac. In the statement he said, “It’sd definitely not the best news, but I totally agree with the lockdown extension for places like casinos. It’s in the interest of the people and is a necessary step in ensuring the safety of everyone across the state.”