India considers sports betting legalisation

The National Law Commission of India is discussing the feasibility of legalising sports betting in the country.

In July, India’s Supreme Court accepted the recommendations to make betting in sports legal through an enacted legislation. It was also advised to include the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the Right to Information (RTI), which would assure that citizens have the right to request information regarding national activities from the public authority.

However, the decision to make sports betting legal in India was left to the Parliament. The Supreme Court stated that “the recommendation made by the Committee that betting should be legalised by law involves the enactment of a law which is a matter that may be examined by the Law Commission and the Government for such action as it may consider necessary in the facts and circumstances of the case.”

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Justice (retired) Balbir Singh Chauhan, chairman of the Law Commission of India confirmed that every aspect of the sector worldwide will be considered before any proposal is made.

“In many countries betting in sports is legal but situations are different there. We will study all the aspects.”

“Once we make up our mind and prepare a skeleton in what direction we should proceed and what legal problems may arise, we will write to all the stakeholders,” Chauhan assured that when the decision is made, Indian stakeholders would be informed to develop the market.

In 2012 report international audit and professional services organisation KPMG valued the Indian sports betting market at INR3 trillion (USD44.27 billion). And if made legal, the government may receive 20 percent tax on profit. Currently, only horse racing betting is legal in India.