GUWAHATI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) is arguably India’s most exciting cricket season, one that brings the entire country together. And it is hardly surprising that betting on the IPL has become more and more popular in recent years. In a country full of more than a billion people, you can be sure that someone or the other is placing bets on the outcome of IPL matches.
Guwahati has itself become a hotbed for illegal IPL betting rackets. However, most people are woefully unaware of the legislation surrounding sports betting and online betting in India. This can mean that people engage in illegal activities that may not be entirely safe, both in terms of finances or legality.
While physical gambling in public places has long been considered illegal in India, the laws of online betting have always existed in a convenient grey area. With no central laws that address the use of online betting websites that allow betting on the IPL, many people have switched their betting adventures to the online world.
What does Indian law say about online betting?
According to the Public Gambling Act of 1867, only public gambling or gambling in a “common gaming house” is punishable by Indian law. Most Indian states have been allowed to either adopt this Act or amend it as they see fit. Some Indian states have even chosen to create their own legislation pertaining to the subject of gambling in India.
Most states have chosen to allow skill-based games such as horse race betting or certain card games, which are based more on the player’s skill than their luck. However, some states have chosen to recognize gambling as an illegal activity. Therefore, IPL betting rackets exist in a secretly run economy.
However, due to the absence of regulation when it comes to online betting in India, most betting websites and apps operate freely in the country, making it a convenient option for people who are interested in betting on the IPL. In fact, the popularity of IPL betting sites has shot up way more in the last couple of years, attracting online bettors from all over the country.
Additionally, factors such as competitive smartphone prices, cheaper data packs, and digital payment systems such as UPI and e-wallets like Paytm, have made it super simple for people to go online and play around with real money on real-money gaming apps.
Thanks to this exponential growth in the sector, many states have begun pursuing the possibility of regulating the online gambling industry in India. While most states remain divided upon the matter still, more regulation could mean tax revenue for Indian states. In these times of the pandemic and resulting lockdowns, the suffering Indian economy could use the additional revenue.
However, concerns still remain about the protection of users and the negative aspects like gambling addictions, which may cause more harm than can be controlled. Online gambling may also become a convenient cover for fraudulent transactions such as money laundering.
With IPL betting becoming more and more common in the country, it is perhaps time to consider the various options available to the state governments - to regulate and capitalize on the entire industry to generate revenue and ensure the following of regulations or to pick the alternative and call for a blanket ban on online gambling. But the latter possibility still leaves questions as to whether a blanket ban can truly be implemented without problems.