John Snowball, general manager of the Essel group-owned Maharaja casino, said all the casinos represented a cumulative investment of Rs.500 crore (Rs.5 billion) and that by pushing the casino industry to the brink 'the government is only killing the golden egg-laying goose'.

'The industry could generate Rs.70 crore for the government if it is allowed to settle down and prosper. But conditions are being made very difficult for legitimate business to prosper,' Snowball said.

While acknowledging that there was no further scope for more players in the offshore casino market, N. Srinivas of Casino Pride said Goa was still unable to attract the high spenders to the gaming tables yet.

'We are still promoting cheap tourists whose daily budget is $20. We don't have infrastructure like Macau to attract the big players yet,' he said.