No place for Casino culture in Maharashtra, GST act to be amended ; Govt 

On the first day of the assembly session on Thursday, the Maharashtra government tabled five bills, one of which was to repeal the “Maharashtra Casinos (Control and Tax) Act, 1976” and amending the “Maharashtra Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017.”

The X handle of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said “This bill will permanently repeal the Maharashtra Casino Act. I had consistently taken a firm stand that no casino should be allowed in the state. The law, which has been in place since 1976, has seen people frequently go to court to seek its permission. Even in 2016 when I was the Chief Minister, and also in January 2023, the same role was presented on the file. Considering the youth generation of the state, we took such a decision in the cabinet and finally today this bill was approved in the assembly.”

Additionally, the government introduced bills to amend the Chit Funds Act of 1982, the Maharashtra Apartment Ownership Act of 1970, and the Maharashtra Public Universities Act of 2016.

Devendra Fadnavis, the home minister, introduced the bill to amend the Casinos Act. Fadnavis went on to say that the Act was passed in order to regulate casinos and to impose a tax on betting here. According to the act, it would take effect following a government notification published in the official gazette. The government, however, believes that the state shouldn’t permit casinos.

The Maharashtra GST Act is set to amend, among other things by defining terms like “virtual digital asset,” “specified actionable claims,” “online gaming,” and “online money gaming.” Additionally, it suggests adding a new clause requiring registration for anyone sending money for online gaming to someone in India from outside of the country. It aims to shed light on the taxability of claims that can be made in connection with or through online gaming, horse racing, and casinos.

Shreyas Vange