After the scandal of cricket corruption emerged during the test match between England and Pakistan, the Indian government is considering whether to legalise the country’s multi-million dollar black market in gambling in order to tackle corruption in cricket and other sports. A governative source told that: “The aim is to ascertain whether legalised betting can exist in India without the stigma attached to it now. So we are looking at the pros and cons with great care”.
India is seen by many in the gambling industry as the epicentre of underground illegal betting: gambling in India is strictly illegal except at horse races and a few casinos, although at a local level lottery gaming is becoming increasingly permitted. Legalising sports gambling in India would likely bring in massive tax revenues for the government. India’s gambling rackets, once dominated by the Mumbai underworld, have spread their tentacles in recent years and can be found in small-towns of the country. In these conditions the police fight a losing battle. “How much can we do?” asks a senior police officer who has investigated the networks for a long time. “The maximum punishment under Indian law is a 250 Rupee fine or three months in jail”.
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