Goa casino group refutes claims of illegal cash seizures after ED raids

The owners of Goa’s popular Big Daddy Casino group have strongly denied reports that officials found illegal cash or foreign currency at their properties. The clarification comes almost a month after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it seized money during large-scale searches carried out across several states.

In a detailed statement issued on Friday, the group said the claims circulating were “factually incorrect” and created confusion about what actually happened during the September 28 operation.

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What the casino group says

The casino group, which manages Big Daddy Casino, Strike Casino, and companies like Golden Globe Hotels Pvt Ltd and Worldwide Resorts & Entertainment Pvt Ltd, said that only four of the 15 searched locations were connected to them.

These four places included Big Daddy Casino and Strike Casino in Goa, and company offices in Goa and Gurgaon.

According to the group, no cash, foreign currency, cryptocurrency, or any other illegal asset was recovered from these four sites. They stressed that the ED’s searches covered many different locations across Goa, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Rajkot, and seizures reported in the media came from other unrelated premises, not theirs.

“We want to clearly state that none of the seized items were taken from our casinos or company offices,” the statement said. The group also added that it has fully cooperated with all authorities during the investigation and will continue to do so.

Background of the case

On September 29, the Enforcement Directorate announced that it recovered ₹2.25 crore in cash and foreign currency worth around ₹8.5 lakh during multi-state raids. These searches were part of a larger probe linked to alleged financial irregularities involving a casino business and its associated firms in Goa. Further, different cryptocurrencies including USDT of more than Rs. 90 Lakh were found and freezed during the action. Incriminating documents and digital evidence have been seized, which establish violations of FEMA provisions as well as linkages with cross-border hawala/crypto transactions.

ED investigation revealed that poker chips were being provided to customers in lieu of foreign currency, and winnings were disbursed in foreign currency based on customer requirements. Further, it was found that multiple online casino platforms were actively promoted by staff members of the casino under M/s. Golden Globe Hotels Pvt. Ltd.

Once this announcement became public, it was seen that the money have been seized from the Big Daddy Casino group’s properties. The company has now rejected those reports outright, saying such claims were misleading.

The management said the purpose of their clarification is to ensure that customers, partners, and the general public are not misinformed.

They stated that the group strictly follows all rules and continues to run its casinos with full transparency.