The Sports Ministry is in the initial stages of making online betting legal in India.
AFP
An official stated that they have consulted many stakeholders in the government, but it will take around 2 years for things to get moving.
The Sports Ministry is also likely to seek assistance from its counterparts in the UK, where gambling is legal.
AFP
¡°The UK has one of the most effective gambling laws. We hope to understand their system and see if it is possible to introduce it in India,¡± said a ministry official, while speaking to Indian Express.
The illegal betting market in India is almost Rs 10 crore. Right now, betting is legal only on horse racing.
AFP
So it may not be long before online betting can be done without any hassle as the law will permit it. It remains to be seen if this results in less corruption in sports especially cricket where the ugly shadow of match-fixing threatens to tarnish the game's image.
With reports of the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) recommending a central legalisation to allow online and regulated betting in Cricket doing rounds, Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel on Sunday clarified that he has not yet come across any such proposal.
"No such proposal has been made to me. I am against betting. I am one of those who banned gambling. But the final decision rests with the Government of India," Goel said.