Sports betting has become very common in today's world. Sports betting is a form of gambling that involves placing a wager or bet on the outcome of a sporting event. There are different forms of sports betting that take place everywhere and online betting is one of them. sports betting can also extend to non-athletic events, such as reality show contests and political elections. The betting has transformed how games are watched and even played.

Over 400 million people in India watch sports every year and with that huge number of audience the betting has emerged as source of making money for many people. There are various sites which allow online betting and there are Sports books that allow you to make wide variety of bets. Many legal sports book are found online, operated over the internet from jurisdictions separate from the clients they serve.

Sports Betting In India

Sports betting in India is mostly illegal except for betting on horse race.All other sports betting is based on the laws of the individual states.India has a love affair with Cricket that is unmatched by any other nation.Betting on Indian premier league outpaces all other betting on major sportsbooks serving India.

After cricket, football is the second most popular sport which is liked by Indian audience. Other popular sports to bet on in India include badminton, tennis, basketball and international sports such as football. The uncertainty of the outcome is an essential part of sport's attraction. If the result is pre-determined, the integrity of sports is lost and with which it a large part of its meaning and appeal for fans.

Match fixing is therefore a major threat to sport and the advent of online gambling has increased the risk of match-fixing for financial gain.The huge scale of the global gambling industry is attractive to organized crime and the range of the types of bets has increased inside misinformation. There is also increase in corruption due to such gambling and fixing and it is a fundamental and worldwide threat to future of professional sport.

Laws Relating To Sports Betting

Sports betting law is a confusing and complex subject because every country has its own legislation relating to Sports betting. The majority of this legislation fails to make it clear what exactly is legal and What is not. Sports betting in India is mainly illegal except for the betting on horse races. All other sports is based on the laws of the individual states or the general laws of India.

Most of the India is subject to the Public Gambling Act of 1867 and the Technology Act of 2000. Under those laws, sports betting is not permitted but individual states have right to make their own laws. According to Public Gambling Act (1867),all kinds of gambling in India are illegal. But unlike in the US where there is the American Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, no specific law exist in the Indian system that prohibit online gambling. Betting companies are apparently using this loopholes to lure Indians to bet on everything.

While bookmark in India are illegal, there is no specific law in India which bans an individual customer from placing an online bet with bookmark based outside India. On 4 March 2009,the Government of Sikkim issued a memorandum known as Sikkim Online Gaming (Regulation ) Rules,2009. This outlines the rules and regulations for online gambling licensing within that state (laha, 2012).The Public Gambling Act of 1867 is a central law that prohibits running or being in charge of the public gambling house. The penalty for breaking this law is fine of Rs.200 or imprisonment of up to 3 months.

The old age debate about what form of gambling is legal or what not continues. According to a report published by the International Centre for sports Security (ICSS), the betting market in India might be worth over US$130 billion. There is different gambling laws for different states because the seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India explicitly gives states the right to legislate and make policies related to Gambling and Betting. Every state government is free to enact as well legislate gambling laws as per their direction.

According to a report by the All India Gaming Federation,the Indian exchequer loses almost INR 2 lakh crore each year due to illegal betting on cricket. After the 2013 match fixing scandal in IPL, the Lodha Commission was appointed by the Supreme Court to look into the matter of legalization of cricket betting (Gam)[i].

Conclusion
There is no any specific law to govern the gambling and betting in India. In order to protect the public from ill-effects of these activities and to increase transparency there is need to make proper law to govern the gambling and betting activities. There are various online Gambling sites also available which accepts bets from every state in India and nothing can be done about it as it under the purview of the UK gambling laws.

Now as India does not have any specific law which bans online betting,offshore companies take advantage of this loop hole. The Information Technology Act 2000 regulates cyber activities in India does not mention the word Gambling or betting thereby the act was left for interpretation by the courts. The charm and the integrity of the sports need to safeguarded at any cost.

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