Panaji, Sep 8 - Offshore and onshore casinos in Goa will shut down Wednesday in protest against the state government's decision to sharply hike the entry fee from Rs.200 to Rs.2,000 per person.

'The steep hike is throttling business,' Casino Association of Goa (CAG) spokesperson Narinder Punj told reporters Tuesday. The association is newly formed and comprises six offshore casino operators and 12 onshore casinos in Goa.

'Our business has dropped by 90 percent in south Goa and by 50 percent in north Goa. Enough is enough. The government is driving away the casino industry. Nowhere in the world do you see such a steep entry fee,' Punj, managing director of High Street casinos, the company which runs the biggest offshore vessel Casino Royale, told reporters.

When asked to comment on reports that ministers in the government were trying to extort money from the casino operators, Punj said: 'I can only say that our life is being made difficult.