The efforts of the Law Commission of India to investigate whether or not gambling and betting should be legalized in the country are therefore a timely initiative to launch the much-needed reform process. Vidushpat Singhia: Games of skill are largely self-regulated. There are organizations such as the All India Gaming Federation, FIFS [Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports] and Rummy Federation that have developed self-regulatory codes for advertising, gambling, taxation. The only state where gambling or skill has been regulated is Nagaland. Otherwise, skill games are usually regulated by these industry associations themselves, which is not bad. I do not think we need the government to regulate everything. Perhaps a basic licensing system could be introduced, but I think the operational regulation should still be the responsibility of the industry. Awareness campaigns should educate people about the risks of excessive gambling. Minors, habitual gamblers and vulnerable persons should be excluded from access to gambling establishments; And the amounts that can be used depending on a person`s financial capabilities should be limited. Gambling has been widely used in society since ancient times and has been accepted as a form of recreation on various social occasions, concerns about gambling and betting lead to addiction and bankruptcy, it should be noted that although gambling is largely illegal, it is still endemic and uncontrolled.
There are still many cases today where people lose their livelihoods and commit suicide for uncontrolled gambling, with the authorities ignoring the problem. Jay Sayta: As you said, skill games are excluded from gambling. Gambling and betting is a government issue. Each state has its own legislation for gambling, and most states have an exception for games of skill. However, these laws are quite old and they do not clearly define or list which games fall into this category of jurisdictions. Nagaland, for example, has separate legislation detailing what skill games are. But for the most part, most states don`t have that kind of clarity. It is therefore within the jurisdiction of the judiciary to interpret whether or not a particular game falls within the domain of skill. Estimates of the size of the gaming market in India vary, with a 2010 KPMG report suggesting it could be $60 billion, while other more recent studies point to a higher figure.
Even a conservative estimate suggests that by legalizing sports betting, the government could earn tens of thousands of crores in tax revenue. If gambling and online casinos were also allowed, the estimated tax revenues would be much higher. Companies will host betting apps and entice the poor to try their luck. The Supreme Court, in Board of Control for Cricket v. Cricket Association of Bihar & Ors (2016), instructed the Law Commission to investigate the possibility of legalising betting in India. There can be no guarantee that the legalization of regulated betting will deter players from being part of betting rackets. In 2016, while considering the recommendations of the Lodha Committee on the legalization of sports betting, the Supreme Court wanted the Legal Commission to consider whether betting on cricket should be legalized, and a law should be drafted to make this possible, and the Legal Commission has not yet made its final recommendations. but according to media reports, the chairman of the Legal Commission, Justice B.S. Chauhan has officially stated that he is in favor of a law regulating such activities. The Ministry of Consumer Protection has issued some guidelines on advertising. Maybe these real money games can be included in this area and some do`s and don`ts [can be specified].
For example, I don`t think it`s appropriate to convey the message that you can play on these platforms day and night during lockdown and use them as tools to solve your social or financial problems. The government should therefore intervene. 4. Should betting be legalized in India? Discuss its advantages and disadvantages. Generally, the game is called card games where high stakes are involved, and bets are called casino games and place a bet on an event such as a game. See also | Enforcement Branch freezes funds from companies that operate Chinese online betting apps In my view, regulation, not a ban, has certain advantages. One is the recipe argument. Since it takes place mostly underground, it is a huge source of black money.
So if it is legalized and taxed realistically and reasonably, it can be a huge source of revenue for the government. The second concerns sports betting, where there are many allegations of match-fixing. Now, regulated and licensed betting systems, as in the UK.