Citizens lament that police raids on matka dens have waned since bookmakers now accept bets over the phone and accept digital payments; police stations in Salcete only registered 146 instances in 2022.
MARGAO: Residents of Margao, the commercial centre of South Goa, have expressed alarm that their town has turned into a hotbed for illicit gaming enterprises. Locals can attest to the thriving gambling dens that have sprung up around the town of Salcete and its 66 villages, offering both virtual gaming and digital payment alternatives, despite the fact that the Margao police have only recorded 44 cases under the Goa Public Gambling Act over the previous year The number of instances being reported to the police as a result of these illicit operations has not grown commensurately, he claimed.
At Margao, one may observe matka bets being accepted in market areas, beach parking lots, major intersections with plenty of pedestrian traffic, and on the sides of the highways. Small kiosks, gaddas, and hotel rooms are also used by the bookmakers, who are always on the go and appear to be one step ahead of the law.
When matka activity peaked in Margao a few years ago, it was suppressed. Fly-by-night gambling activities, however, appear to have risen in recent years, particularly after the Covid-19 lockdowns, according to a local, who acknowledged that it was now simpler for bookmakers to avoid detection as the majority of them operate through cellphones. Local bookmakers take payment from the players and proceed the money to the principal agents in charge of the operation out of Mumbai. In Salcete, bookmakers work from rented space, reside in lodges, and are frequently protected.
by those who let them rent their spaces, since they give them a consistent rental income.
