da wazamba： Betting should be legalised in India, like in England and Australia, believes IS Bindra, who is slated to take charge as the ICC’s principal advisor in July
da bet7： Cricinfo staff09-Apr-2008Betting should be legalised in India, as it is in England and Australia, says IS Bindra, the the ICC’s principal advisor-in-waiting.”If betting is legalised, it will be in the government’s interest as not only will it eliminate match-fixing but also earn the state revenues in crores [tens of millions],” Bindra said. “The [Indian] board, too, will stand to benefit.””My personal view is that if you want anything to be regulated, it has to be legalised,” said Bindra, currently the Punjab Cricket Association president and a member of the Indian Premier League’s governing council.Bindra highlighted the benefits of legalising betting. “Media estimates suggest [illegal] bets totalling anywhere between Rs 8000-10,000 crore [approx US$2-2.5 billion] are placed on an ODI match [in India],” Bindra said. “By that magnitude, one can imagine that government can easily earn Rs 5,000-7,000 crore as entertainment duty and other things.”In England and Australia betting already enjoys legal status. Now, it is for the governments in the subcontinent to consider it.”
