Should Sports Betting Be Legalized In India To Eradicate Corruption?


Bangalore: In the wake of IPL being marred by controversies, Indian cricket is shaken by the spot-fixing scandal and it has led to much debate in the country over ban of the IPL series or legalizing betting to eradicate corruption. The arrest of three cricketers, including India Test pacer S Sreesanth, and several bookies has stunned the nation beyond belief.

Although legalizing cricket betting still remains an unanswered question, different opinions have been surfacing. Former England Captain Geoffrey Boycott said that India should legalize betting to stamp out corruption in cricket. He feels the menace of fixing, which has currently dented the IPL's reputation, emerges more frequently in the Asian countries.

He explained “When beer was illegal in America during prohibition, you had all this illegal drinking and all these mafia-type people and so forth involved. And so you’ll get the worst type of society involved in betting, from the bookies and that sort of people, when you have something that people want to do but it’s illegal,” reported PTI.

But Boycott said it would take a lot out of the Indian government to decriminalize betting given that it doesn’t “like change“. He also said that one reason for corruption in the game is the huge gap in the earnings of top players and the relatively junior pros. He said that top players get paid millions if they play the entire series, and the others get peanuts, thus, they are open to the bookies.

Also Read: IPL Back in Controversies: Spot-Fixing and Sahara's Withdrawal
Also Read: Indian Sportsmen Who Turned Politicians