A BAN ON HOUSIE IN THE HOUSE

As a simple community game mutates into big-bucks betting, Goa cracks down. But the state may have scored a cultural self-goal

- By Dhaval S. Kulkarni

GIVEN A GAME OF CHANCE, CHANCES are it can always gather big stakes-all it needs is for the society around it to change.

That's what happened to Housie, the cherished pastime that Goa banned in April. Once a harmless form of community entertainment, Housie also called tambola or bingo-helped fund sports, cultural events and local festivals. But somewhere along the line, it got kissed by the gods of lucre, and metamorphosed into a multicrore business.

"Tickets are now priced at Rs 1,000 and some 9,000 tickets are sold per event," says a state official.

A high-profile event in Margao recently had a total prize money of Rs 13 lakh; another promised Rs 15.15 lakh. Winning numbers are often manipulated to ensure no one hits the jackpot. “Eventually, the organisers are the real winners,” says the official, adding they pay neither income tax nor GST.