Against the odds to legalise gambling in India

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  6.2 billion dollars is the amount of revenue that the Australian government-generated through the gambling industry in 2018

 14.4 billion pounds is the amount of  revenue that the British government generated through the gambling industry in 2018

                    Source: https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/gambling-ills-must-be-brought-into-focus-                                                                               1502860575.html

For all the growth that India has had in the last 50 years in terms of economy, defence, technology etc. we seem to be anchored by some ridiculous and outdated laws in terms of generating revenue through different methods. Betting and Gambling is one such law that needs serious upgrading and the government needs to have a look at legalising it. The argument for too long has been along the lines that it is addictive, possibly against Indian culture and largely difficult to regulate. Let me enlighten you, it is true that gambling is addictive, but so is alcohol, smoking, video games and even sex, you don't see the government banning all of this, do you?? The second argument that it's against Indian culture, which is factually incorrect, you remember the Mahabharata? They didn't just gamble on money, they gambled on people, while I'm no one to judge, it is pretty clear that gambling has been well-rooted as part of our culture and we have great pride in it. The third reason is to do with government regulation, and while I admit it is very difficult to govern effectively if you weigh the pros of legalising it against the cons, I know where I stand. 

           According to a report by TOI in 2019, Illegal betting and gambling(primarily on cricket matches) accounted for 200 billion dollars annually. To put that into context, the budget allocation for India's defence ministry for 2021-22 was 67 billion dollars. We keep wondering about how come the black money in our country multiplies quicker than our population drive, well this is part of the answer i.e. illegal gambling. In Australia, casino tables and slots are taxed at 12-25% they generate upwards of 6 billion dollars annually. Australia's population is at 25 million, India's is at 1. 3 billion which is more than 50 times of the former. If we go according to the report by TOI, if gambling was legal in India and taxed at 10-12% of 200 billion dollars (20-25 billion dollars), amongst other expenditures we could have vaccinated the entire country just from the money generated through the gambling industry. There are certain apprehensions from different sections of society regarding people's lives being destroyed due to gambling addictions, but then so is the case for drinking. By and large, if you had a referendum regarding the legalisation of gambling in India, the majority of the population would be for it. Addictions will always be there (for which I sympathise), whether it is legal or not so you might as well educate people about it and make them responsible for their actions. 


Comments

  1. RAJ GANDHI1 June 2021 at 05:09

    Great article Ranveer, some very interesting comparisons there. Would allowing it would make it an option for more people to convert their black money there? Like how does the government then hold anyone accountable (one could simply play with black money and win white). Other than that, have you quantified the increase in crime rate as result of gambling being publicly available to people? (Yes I do agree that alcohol has negative impacts too, but allowing gambling is like legally facilitating more negative impact). Definitely something the Government should look into but I would just be mindful considering the Indian masses (people could overdue it maybe?). Just not very sure why would the Indian government won’t legalise it considering the revenue it can generate out of it.

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    Replies
    1. Ranveer Pandit1 June 2021 at 06:30

      Thanks for the feedback, there is always the possibility of people using it as a means to convert black money to white, but then so are every other places like religious places, NGO's etc. It can be regulated like how they do it in Western countries through monitoring and have strict policies. Although I'm not a 100% sure about it, crimes that take place due to gambling are probably not reported in India so far because its illegal, its a point to consider though. I think there is a discussion to be had especially considering the laws date back to 1857.

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