'No prostitution aboard casinos'

PANAJI: The newly formed Association of Offshore Casino Operators (AOCO) has assured that there will be no prostitution aboard any of its member vessels.
Speaking to TOI, John Snowball, spokesperson of the AOCO said that people's fears of prostitution rackets aboard the off-shore casinos could be allayed. "I assure that no casino run by me will have prostitution, and I speak on behalf of my colleagues and association members," he said.
"In fact, in the UK where I have received my training, it is a ground for revocation of licence if a casino becomes a haunt for prostitution," said Snowball, who is also general manager of the Maharajah off-shore casino.
Snowball further said that the association would work to educate the people and the government of the misconceptions held about the industry.
"There is no co-relation between casinos and crime. In the US, there is a lower level of crime in Las Vegas than in Orlando, which is the home of Mickey Mouse," the association spokesperson added.
Residents in Panaji have already complained of suspicious activities being carried out aboard the off-shore casinos operating in the River Mandovi. One among them, Rui Ferreira, has alleged that the floating casinos had brought in prostitution as a subsidiary service as well. "Prostitution has already started and is on the rise since the floating casinos have arrived here," he said.
"There are low-end prostitutes catering to outstation employees of the off-shore casinos. These employees live in and around Panaji and are away from their families. We have also observed high-end prostitutes who cater to the rich clientele who gamble at the floating casinos," Ferreira added.
The AOCO presently has four floating casinos as its members, out of the six operating in the Mandovi.
"The association currently comprises the Maharajah; the Pride of Goa; the Casino Royale and the Kings Casino," says Snowball.
"We'd be happy to have the others join us. Our association is not an aggressive lobby, but we have formed it, with the purpose, to put forward our point of view in a more rational way," he said.