Shashi Tharoor to introduce private member's Bill to regulate sports betting and penalise match-fixing

Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor is all set to introduce a private member's bill in Parliament to regulate betting in sports in the country.

The bill would also deal with formally penalising those involved in match-fixing. It is scheduled to be introduced in the lower house of parliament on December 28.

"The bill, which is titled Sports (Online Gaming and Prevention of Fraud) Bill, 2018 is aimed to introduce an effective regime to maintain the integrity of sports in India by preventing and penalizing sports fraud and for regulation of online sports gaming, as per the Lok Sabha's agenda," said Jay Sayta, founder of Glaws.in, a website on gambling laws.

Sayta stressed that the bill should be treated on priority as whatever money is spent on betting can be taxed once legalised. It can also open up technology driven opportunities for online platforms who facilitate betting.

The Law Commission in its 276th report titled "Legal Framework: Gambling and Sports Betting including in Cricket in India", submitted to the government in July this year, had recommended that match-fixing and sporting fraud should be made a criminal offence with stringent penalties.

The law panel had noted that if betting and gambling cannot be effectively banned, then Parliament or state legislatures should consider legalising it under a strict regulatory framework, Sayta added.

Apart from sports betting, Tharoor has been vocal about legalising  marijuana. He pointed out that marijuana would improve the economy as well as reduce corruption and drug-related crimes.

Betting has marred sports in India, especially cricket.

In 2013, the Indian Premier League (IPL) was plagued by spot-fixing scandals and incidents of betting. Subsequently, the Delhi police had arrested three cricketers including former Indian pacer S Sreesanth, for allegedly being involved spot-fixing. While all of them were acquitted by the trial court, the court maintained that the release was more due to lacuna in law, than the players' innocence.

At the turn of the millennium, former India Captain Mohammad Azharuddin's international career nosedived after his name came up in a match-fixing racket. He was banned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after initial investigations. The ban, which was effective from 2000, was eventually lifted by the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2012 as no clear evidence was found against the former captain.