From Washington Post
Cricket is a religion for many Indians.
But, of late, this religion has been somewhat soiled by allegations of players working with illegal bookmakers to fix not only the outcome of the matches but also specific bowling and batting action in the game.
Now, some Indians are saying that, as a solution, they want the practice of sports betting to be legalized.
A survey conducted among 200 businesses by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry reported that 74 percent of respondents voted that “legalizing sports betting will help curb match fixing problem.”
Indian law prohibits betting on sports, except on games such as horse racing. But the underground betting market is worth almost $52 billion in India, says the industry association.
In the latest scandal to hit the colonial game last month, police arrested star players and illegal bookmakers, accusing them of manipulating an immensely popular and lucrative tournament known as the Indian Premier League.
