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India – Sports betting now on the cards in India following Supreme Court directive

By - 22 July 2016

India could be set to legalise sports betting following the Supreme Court decision to approve the majority of recommendations made by the Lodha Committee concerning a broad spectrum of issues relating to Indian cricket at the central and state level.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has been allocated six months to implement the recommendations.

The highlight of the report, overseen by RM Lodha, the former chief justice of India, was the ruling that the Indian legislature should consider legalising sports betting within the country at the central level.

Mr. Lodha said it was a ‘Great day for Indian cricket and Indian sport, think cricket fans should rejoice the verdict of Supreme Court.’

The Supreme Court said: “In the result, we accept the report submitted by the Committee and the recommendations made therein with such modifications and clarifications as have been set out by us in the body of this judgement. The transition from the old to the new system recommended by the Committee shall have to be under the watchful supervision of this Court.”

The Court is happy to allow Parliament to decide on whether betting should be legalised as it ‘involves the enactment of a Law which is a matter that may be examined by the Law Commission and the Government.’

It highlighted that sportsbetting and match fixing should be dealt with separately.

“While the latter [match fixing] interferes with the integrity of the game and attempts to change the course of the match, the former [sports betting] is a general malaise indulged by different sections of the society not only with reference to cricket but other games also,” said the ruling. “The Committee considers the match/ spot-fixing as unpardonable and opines that the only way to deal with the same effectively is to make it punishable by law. The Committee in that regard recommends appropriate amendment by the legislature.”

“The Committee has on the basis of responses and opinions tendered before it, recommended to the legislature to make the same legal with certain safeguards enlisted in the report. The Committee has made certain recommendations to fulfil the need to educate and sensitise young players and debutants about the game ethics and the need to inculcate discipline and integrity among players.”

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