Most casinos in the Indian state of Goa have bit the bullet and paid their increased license fees after the state government and local courts rejected their requests for relief.

In March, Goa’s government announced steep hikes in license fees for the state’s land-based and floating casino operators. The casinos cried foul, and the land-based operators lobbied the government to allow them to add live gaming (which is only allowed on the shipboard casinos) in exchange for paying the fee hikes.

However, a senior department official told the Times of India last week that there was “no question of rolling back the fees” and the operators could either make the payments or surrender their licenses.

Last Friday, the Nahvind Times quoted government sources saying 11 casinos – five of the six floating casinos and six of the land-based venues – had paid the revised fees by the government’s stipulated deadline. One other casino is reportedly in the process of paying its dues while two others – the Crown and Carnival – decided to shut down operations rather than ante up.