India’s Maharashtra is finally laying the groundwork to act on a decade-old legislation that will legalize casinos in the state.

The Maharashtra Casinos (Control and Tax) act was passed and published in July 1976, but the government has yet to make an announcement due to a fear of adverse public reactions. Now, The Hindu reported that state officials have been ordered to speed up the process.

According to the report, the state home department is already “studying gaming and casino laws applicable in Goa and Sikkim,” including issues in taxation, in time for a final deliberation that will decide the fate of the casino act. A meeting with all the stakeholders, including law, tourism, home and revenue departments, has been scheduled for the end of January.

Back in October, the Bombay High Court gave the Maharashtra government six months to decide whether or not to permit casino gambling within its borders. The order stemmed from a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by law student Jay Sayta, who accidentally discovered the 38-year-old statute that permitted casino gambling in the state, including the bustling metropolis of Mumbai.