All bets are off

The Law Commission’s 30-day window seeking views from citizens on whether betting and gambling should be legalised in India will open a Pandora’s box. Needless to say that gambling, as old as civilisation, is a scourge that has ruined countless families. The great war in the Mahabharata was preceded by gambling that had virtually ruined the Pandavas. Mythology aside, despite strict governmental measures, betting and gambling have always found takers because they are addictive.

The government-approved avenues of betting, and the social custom of gambling during festivals, notwithstanding, clandestine operations have thrived under the watchful eye of the law. In a view that pragmatically endorses ‘what can’t be cured should be endured’, the Justice RM Lodha Committee had suggested legalising betting on sports following the IPL match-fixing scandal in 2013.

The Commission’s questions to the public are pertinent: Will legalising betting help curb illegal activities? Will licensing help the government earn substantial revenue and generate employment? Or most importantly, will legalising betting and gambling be morally correct in India? A few facts also need to be considered before arriving at a conclusion. Five cricket-playing nations — Australia, the UK, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa — have allowed betting in the sport because they want a piece of the pie. Shouldn’t India consider a share as well since it has disastrously failed to curb betting despite its best intentions?