Illegal earnings from alcohol, gambling, and even cricket betting find their way to politicians and officials.
NEW DELHI
The festival of Diwali is marked by grand celebrations, but in the realm of politics, leaders find themselves entangled in controversies due to interpretations of “facts” from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. Since the time of the Mahabharata, gambling has been considered the cause of the biggest power struggles. Similarly, in India, the illegal earnings of billions of rupees from gambling, alcohol, and the involvement of leaders have become a significant electoral issue. In Chhattisgarh, raids, arrests, and serious allegations are being made in court regarding cases involving leaders connected to the business of gambling. In Madhya Pradesh, a major liquor manufacturing company has been raided in 50 locations across the country due to the alleged theft of crores of rupees in income tax. In this case as well, politicians are accused of providing illegal income, distributing wealth during elections, and involvement in the liquor trade. Aam Aadmi Party leaders in Delhi are in custody for months on charges of illegal earnings from liquor trade, and they have not been granted bail by the court.
Very few people may know that India ranks third in the world in the business of alcohol. The earnings from alcohol amount to nearly three trillion dollars. India’s alcohol is being sold to prosperous developed countries. However, due to government regulations and controls on liquor trade, illegal earnings find their way to politicians and officials in the form of corruption. This means that alcohol, gambling, and even cricket betting have become a business worth billions. With time, the impact of modern technology has also influenced this business. In India, horse racing and lotteries are legal. Some expertise is involved in horse racing, so it is not considered gambling. Several Indian states have legalized lotteries, including Goa, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Punjab, Nagaland, West Bengal, and Sikkim. Online gambling and land-based casinos in Goa, Sikkim, Nagaland, and Daman are legalized under the Public Gambling Act of 1976. Maharashtra has banned gambling, considering it illegal under the Bombay Prevention of Gambling Act. E-gaming (games of chance) is legalized in Sikkim and Nagaland. Telangana and Arunachal Pradesh consider skill-based games illegal under the Telangana Gaming Act of 1974. The All India Gaming Federation, Rummy Federation, and the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports have adopted a self-regulation code for all their advertisements. Gambling and betting in India are considered punishable offenses. Ironically, despite this, the country hosts a gambling industry worth billions.
The central government recently ordered the blocking of 22 illegal betting apps and websites, including the “Mahadev Book Online” and “Readyanna PrestoPro” platforms. This directive comes at a time when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating the Mahadev app controversy. This case has heated up the political landscape of the electoral state of Chhattisgarh, with allegations extending up to the state’s Chief Minister, Bhupesh Baghel, assisting in establishing this betting app.
After receiving several complaints about the Mahadev gaming app, the ED took action, revealing that the app was involved in large-scale illegal betting on various games. The scale and magnitude of the cricket betting market in India are staggering, and it appears that many gaming apps are becoming part of this illicit business. Despite efforts, illegal betting remains rampant, particularly in the vast cricket betting market in India, which is valued at nearly three lakh crores or more. This market is continually growing rapidly. Most of the illegal betting activities are orchestrated by underworld mafia criminals who attempt to influence matches and players in their own ways.
Many international gambling websites invite Indian citizens to participate in online gambling or betting, involving sums of money exceeding Rs ten thousand crore. Monitoring betting in cricket is challenging, and black money from illegal betting reaches those who pose a threat to security and progress in the country. With the shift of the global economy towards Asia, the big business of betting and gambling in sports has also firmly rooted itself in Asia in an organized and structured manner. The increasing prevalence of social networking and mobile usage worldwide has strengthened illegal activities in sports. Globally, organized criminals are finding gambling and fixing in sports to be a lucrative business. It has taken a significant form in China, Southeast Asia, and India. Hence, organizations demanding legal recognition for gambling and betting are also active. Nevertheless, PM Modi continues the campaign against illegal activities and black money in a stringent manner. On the occasion of Diwali, it’s time to give a thought to prosperity with the honest acquisition of wealth.
The writer is editorial director of ITV Network—India News and Dainik Aaj Samaj.