India makes push to legalize gambling

[The Buzz]

Last week in India, the Law Commission, in a report to the government, recommended legalizing sports betting and gambling.

The report, titled “Legal Framework: Gambling and Sports Betting including Cricket in India,” leaves the final call to Parliament and the state legislatures, and recommends various ways to regulate the betting market. The commission added that legalized gamblong would generate "immense revenue" that could be used for “social welfare” and help curb "underworld influence" and "restrict black money and money laundering."

From The Indian Express:

To ensure that the “vulnerable sections are protected”, the report recommends that minors and people below the poverty line, those who get subsidies or do not fall within the purview of the Income Tax Act or the GST Act, should be debarred from participating.

It also recommends that match-fixing and sports fraud should be made criminal offences with severe punishments.

However, one member of the commission, S Sivakumar, has filed a separate opinion of dissent, stating that the report isn’t comprehensive enough and doesn’t quite address the social ills that such a legalisation can trigger.

The report was triggered by the Supreme Court which, while considering the Lodha Committee report on cricket, asked the Commission to examine the issue.

The apex court had observed that “…the recommendation made by the Committee that betting should be legalised by law, involves the enactment of a Law which is a matter that may be examined by the Law Commission and the Government for such action as it may consider necessary”.

In its conclusions, the commission states that the existing policy of the Government, the current socio-economic atmosphere in the country, and the prevalent social and moral values don’t encourage betting and gambling.

“Accordingly, the Commission reaches the inescapable conclusion that legalising betting and gambling is not desirable in India in the present scenario. Therefore, the state authorities must ensure enforcement of a complete ban on unlawful betting and gambling,” it states.

You may remember that last year, India was featured in the GPWA Times Magazine as one of five emerging markets, since 66% pf its residents below the age of 35 are online and within the next 15 years more people will come online than any other country.

Read more here: https://indianexpress.com/article/sp...r-law-5247762/

[Cash Bonus]

Great news for India and fingers crossed that they will actually go ahead with legalizing it.

[matthewt]

I will accept whatever India's Law Commission decides to do. I think legalizing it, with strict restrictions will help make internet casinos more responsible in the long-run. India can develop the latest easy to use regulation software that protects gamblers. They should aim for 100% control over gaming odds.