India to legalise gambling following cricket scandal?

The Indian Government is discussing proposals to legalise the country's underground gambling market following the spot fixing scandal surrounding Pakistan's tour to England.

An unnamed source at the Indian Sports Ministry said the Government is planning to re-examine the issue following a recommendation from a trial court in New Delhi, which last week suggested money generated from illegal betting was being used to fund terror and drug trafficking. The court said making betting legal would also generate revenue, as with the lottery business.

Gambling in India is illegal except at horse races and a handful of casinos in Goa and Sikkim states, although a number of other local legislatures now permit lottery gaming.

"The aim is to ascertain whether legalised betting can exist in India without the stigma attached to it now. So, we are looking at the pros and cons with great care," the official told the Times of India.

India, along with East Asia, is seen as a centre of global betting syndicates, with gamblers and bookmakers involved in a massive network of illegal spot-fixing - when stakes are pitched on individual balls or on short passages of play.

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