India’s Push to Legalize Sport Betting Reaches Supreme Court
India’s Supreme Court is considering the question of legalizing sports betting. Last Friday, the court agreed to hear a Public Interest Litigation that pushes for the regulation of sports betting.This would break a longstanding prohibition of sports betting in the country and amend the Public Gaming Act, an antique piece of legislation that dates from the early years of British rule in India and celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.
Recent high-profile cases of match-fixing in Indian cricket, most notably in the India Premier League in 2013, have increased the clamor to develop a legal regulatory framework that would permit monitoring of betting so that potential match-fixing can be more effectively detected.There’s also a growing push within India’s legal community to get the job done. They hope to break away from one of the last pieces of British Law that is still in effect in India.
Since India is one of the largest counties in the world in terms of population, there are rough estimates that the sports betting market in India could reach $50 billion. Gambling laws in India are usually left up to the individual states but are generally restrictive. Only three states currently permit any form of casino gambling, for example, Goa, Daman and Sikkim. Meanwhile, the small state of Nagaland has legalized online games of skill, which includes poker and rummy.The black market is largely prevalent in India, and although most Indian citizens are opposed to gambling, they are even more concerned with the black market economy that threatens their day-to-day lives.
If India's Supreme Court were to allow the regulation of gambling, it would send a shock-wave throughout the rest of the globe, and other places like the United States may seek to regulate betting themselves. Even though the bettors in India are mainly watching cricket and soccer matches, they are still throwing large quantities of cash towards these games. No matter what sport you are betting on, there is the potential for plenty of money to be made. If India thinks they can cut down on their black market betting, it is likely that other industrialized nations will follow suit.
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