“Most of these casinos operate out of farmhouses in sector 79, Sohna, Badshahpur, and Bhondsi. Seven of these were stopped over the past three months, and police except this number to shoot up over the next few days, as residents mark Diwali around poker tables. Over the past year alone, the Gurugram police and the Haryana chief minister’s flying squad have busted 16 casinos on the margins of Millennium City.

Casinos are illegal in most states, including Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.īut the risk is not enough of a deterrent. Not only do the bets stack up past the eight-figure mark, the risk of getting caught is rife. Over the course of a few hours, usually between midnight and before sunrise, these makeshift casinos in these farmhouses are taut with tension. Welcome to an illicit pop-up casino in Gurugram, one of many that thrive in the city’s dark spots past midnight throughout the year, but come into their own just before Diwali. It should, they hope, last them the night. Each of them is carrying a briefcase bursting at the seams with the cash. On either side of her, 20 people pack the table. Each table is helmed by a croupier, or a dealer, in a red dress. Unremarkable, except for a roulette table, with poker chips piled across its surface. (HT Photo)Įach guest walks into an otherwise unremarkable living room in the bungalow. A pop-up casino in Sector 79 that was busted by Gurugram cops. Once through, they take a short walk to a four-roomed bungalow, shrouded by tall trees. The bouncer frisks them as an usher cross-checks their IDs with a short guest list. Sporadically, a guest makes their way up to this farmhouse. Outside one of these, four burly men stand guard. A few sprawling farmhouses dot the quiet landscape.

The neighbourhood is sparse, with tracts of farmland to the west and the expanse of the Aravallis to the east. It’s a few minutes past midnight on a chilly November day in Sector 79 on the fringes of Gurugram.

World's best casino cities