Welcome To Gangtok, The Las Vegas Of India

In a Gangtok-style promise of a jackpot, expect some jockeying

Luck By Chance *Photograph by Probir Pramanik*

Latest Issue

Anglo-Indians in 1940s
The Anglo-Indians Of Mhow

There was a time in the 40s when many Anglo-Indian families moved to Mhow. Most of them worked as railways personnel. But now, most of the families have moved abroad

Denzil Lobo
Anglo-Indians In Whitefield: Preserving The Present

Established as an Anglo-Indian village in 1800s, Whitefield in Bengaluru is now an IT hub. However, in some lanes, one can still find ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Perfect Peace’—names of houses of Anglo-Indian families

Anisha Reddy
A Novel On Anglo-Indians
The Story of McCluskieganj

Journalist Vikas Kumar Jha first visited McCluskieganj in 1990 to write a story for a magazine. But he fell in love with the unique Anglo-Indian town and ended up writing a novel that has won many awards and accolades

Vikas Kumar Jha
McCluskieganj
Heterotopia

A world within a world is running out of time. But the voices of McCluskieganj’s past continue to resonate within its ruins, even as development takes over

Chinki Sinha
Opinion
The Future Of Anglo-Indians In India

Where are Anglo-Indians, as a community, heading? What does the future hold for them? Will they be around or would they be relegated to the pages of history books?

Harry Maclure

Probir Pramanik

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Updated: 09 Sep 2018 8:33 am

The atmosphere inside Casino DeltinDenzong is electrifying and addictive. All throbbing and thriving within a signature Sikkimese style, from sight to sound. The tickety-tock at the roulette table; the jingle of slot machines, and the distinctive swoosh of a croupier shuffling cards. Amidst the live entertainment, a first-time gambler jumps for joy—the delirious thrall of beginner’s luck. And true to Paul Newman’s “a dollar won is twice as sweet as a dollar earned” in The Color of Money, the players wager away, savouring their aperitif slowly.

Welcome to Gangtok, the Las Vegas of India! Breathtaking Himalayan views, Sikkimese hospitality, pleasant climate, pure air and casinos on the side. The last one is the new calling card. Sikkim is the country’s first state to have onshore, or land-based, casinos after it legalised gambling in 2009 to lure visitors. The only other place to have casinos is Goa, where a quirk of law keeps the pastime off the coast, on ships in the sea. Gambling—a taboo in many communities across India—is illegal in most states but that hasn’t sapped people’s appetite for it. The proof is penny-stake games at street corners and card parties in affluent homes. Illicit and untaxed!