We are Independent and are transforming the nation into a better world. But our sports betting industry is still abided by a British law of 1867 despite UK was among the first nations to legalize sports betting. India is a country where sports like Kabaddi, Cricket are connected to the viewer’s emotionally. Sports tournaments like Indian Premier League and Pro Kabaddi League are very famous in the Subcontinent and treated as an occasion. Many people in the nation thinks that legalizing sports betting in India  will eventually help the nation in terms of revenue generation and it will also curtail the issue of corruption and match fixing in sports like Cricket or kabaddi.

On 28 December 2018 Congress Leader Dr. Shashi Tharoor had introduced a private bill in the lower house of Parliament for regulating a law for legalizing sports betting, while introducing the law he said “The integrity of sports is essential to preserve its beneficial aspects. Sports integrity is increasingly under threat due to unabated acts of fraud and corruption. My Bill addresses this issue by criminalizing sports fraud, including match-fixing and spot-fixing. The law must adopt a regulatory approach and effectively demarcate the lines of permissible conduct in the field of betting or gaming in connection with a sporting event. My Bill provides the framework to make this possible.”

Well not only Tharoor the Law Commission of India also supported the fact that legalized sports betting will help the Nation in collecting a massive revenue. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry stated that approx. ₹3 Lakh Crore of money is regulated in India by the sports bookies, online casinos, punters. It also stated that by regulation of sports betting, corruption level will surely diminish as approx. 90 – 95% of sports gambling is done through using black money.

Some steps that can help in better and beneficial sports betting.

1. A proper body – As Tharoor suggested there must be a proper body or commission set up for a proper formulation and regulation of sports betting in India. By following this step a better industry will be set up and Cricket betting and Kabaddi betting will rise substantially.
2. Legal Payment methods – As we mentioned earlier almost 90-95 % of sports betting is done in black money, for curing this issue a set up should be created for allowing and ensuring that payment methods like UPIs or Credit Cards should be used. This will help the government in creating a record of each and every transaction done by punters and bookies. Online Casino is a best example for it, each and every transaction there is safe and legal.

This will also help the government in marginalizing a specific amount of tax in the winning transactions.

Some disadvantages of legalizing sports betting in India.

1. Rise in Match Fixing and Spot Fixing – Every coin has two sides, there are chances that legalizing sports betting can lead to hefty rise in match fixing and spot fixing. As the number of punters will increase, the amount of bet money will also. Thus, there are chances that some people at high levels will manipulate the game for their own gains.
   Well, for dodging this situation it is advised that there must be strict laws and surveillance to stop match fixing and spot fixing after the legalization of sports betting.

2. Can lead to rise in crime – Money and crime are correlated with each other. There are chances that legalizing the sports betting will lead to rise in crimes.
   Maybe there are a lot of issues in legalizing sports betting in India, but one cannot deny the fact that after formulating a good sports betting policy, there will be huge benefits for the country. It can generate a lot of revenue from it and can use it for people’s welfare.