Should betting in cricket be allowed?

Abhay Aima

Since it exists, removing the taboo is logical. But legalising betting may affect the outcome of matches.

Abhay Aima
Country Head, Equities, Private Banking & Third Party Products, HDFC Bank

---

"Can you stop betting? Or prostitution, for that matter? They will continue, whether you like it or you don't. Even the gods gambled.

Since you cannot stop it, shouldn't you accept it? An analogy that comes to my mind is speculation in the stock market. We can say that speculation is bad, very bad; but can we put an end to it? Perhaps not, because there cannot be a stock market without speculation, which is the essence of equity market mechanics. But excessive speculation can lead to manipulation in the market, which is not right. But then, everything is bad if done in excess, be it eating, drinking or sleeping.

Just as speculation is bound to be there in the market, betting, too, cannot be wiped out from our society. The best way to tackle this is to legitimise it. I strongly feel that we should set up betting houses.

After all, you can only invite people to join the debate on whether it is good or bad but you cannot put a stop to it. So, accept it and try to remove the necessary evils associated with it. Similarly, if you legalise prostitution, you can reduce the chances of people contracting AIDS as there will be more disclosures, better health checkups and so on, all of it in a legalised profession.

Talking about controlling or putting a stop on betting, can one control it? Certainly not. Whether it is cricket, football, a game of cards or the monsoons "" people will continue to gamble. By making it illegal and attaching a taboo, we are only making the situation worse.

Another important aspect to this is the human psychology. Human beings have a tendency to reach out for things that are unattainable. For instance, in the defence and civil services, there is always a list of places where you cannot go. But in real life, this list does not work as a deterrent. Rather, it is a guide for servicemen on where to go. Every new recruit takes a look at the list and goes to the forbidden places at the first opportunity.

This also holds true for carrying money abroad. Some years ago, people used to carry dollars hidden in their socks when they went outside India, because the permissible limit was low. Now the Reserve Bank of India has allowed people to carry up to $ 25,000 but we are not rushing for it. This is because easy availability of anything reduces our craving for it.

Also, there is an economic aspect behind the dollar story. When people feel that the rupee is appreciating, they feel the need to hoard dollars. That's all fine. But at a conceptual level, when the doors are opened, you have a different approach.

The same is true about imposing Prohibition in Gujarat. Mumbai, too, banned liquor during the Morarji Desai regime. In Ahmedabad, people know where to get their whisky and beer and a thriving parallel economy was ultimately created. In those days in Mumbai, I saw illicit liquor shops thriving in every slum. These joints vanished when the ban on liquor was lifted.

Just like prostitution, betting is one of the biggest sources of crime and bootlegging. Once you legalise them both, the rate of crime is bound to come down drastically.

The question is: how do we legalise it? It cannot be done overnight as there is a social stigma attached to it. There is the media watching you closely and there is the lesson from the Mahabharata on the evils of gambling at the back of your mind. So, don't create social turmoil.

Do it in phases. Any government that would like to do it fast will probably lose power overnight.

Make it clear that betting is not as bad as it has been projected to be. Do it the way China embraced capitalism. Prepare people for it, but slowly. After all it was a dignified hobby with the gods in Heaven.

B.K. Chandrashekar
Education Minister, Government of Karnataka

---

"The issue of betting in cricket should be viewed not only from the moral angle but also from a social perspective. Even though it is not a lawful activity, there are large-scale instances where even educated people indulge in it. This goes against the fabric of our society.

Taking the argument further, with the increasing commercialisation of cricket "" high remuneration to cricketers, organising boards and advertisers "" the game is bound to be in disarray if betting is legalised. Matters will become more controversial, which will, eventually, lead to the sport losing its charm for the millions who watch it.

Not just cricket, encouraging betting and gambling by legalising it should not be allowed in any sport. Such activities can be tolerated in an activity that is not a sport at all but pure gambling, horse racing, for instance. One can also allow betting in activities like a game of cards, where the stakes are low and thus, the betting does not get out of control. Hence, the Karnataka government allows online and single-digit lotteries and other forms of gambling like those involving horse racing and card games.

If betting in cricket is legalised, the betting "industry" will grow until it assumes huge proportions. It may ultimately even influence the outcome of every match since a new element, the financial side, will be introduced into the sport. It is only recently that the game of cricket has started to come out of the mess of match-fixing and drug abuse. If now betting is allowed, it will be courting disaster.

A majority of Indian youth are interested in cricket and dream of becoming professional cricketers. A legal framework for betting will take the innocence out of the sport. At the same time, cricket fans, too, will lose a source of thrill and entertainment.

Cricket matches are already being viewed with a lot of cynicism. For example, many have claimed that the fourth one-day international match between India and Pakistan, which was played recently, had been fixed. That is a complete lie. But this suspicion of matches being fixed will multiply manifold if betting is legalised.

It is also bound to have a cascading effect on the advertising scenario. Currently, there are a number of surrogate advertisements for alcohol and tobacco that are aired during the commercial breaks in a cricket match. Once betting is legalised, more of a particular type of people, who are the target audience for such advertisements, will be watching the game. This will give a boost to surrogate advertising.

Also, when surrogate advertisers see a major restriction gone, they might become emboldened to be more explicit in their advertisements. This will spoil the entire charm of the game and negate all efforts to keep such advertisers away from cricket.

I shudder to think of a scenario when the legalised betting industry will dictate and try to control the organisers, advertisers, players, and, ultimately influence the game. Cricket is an exciting sport that should be far away from any suspicions of match fixing and betting.

A stronger enforcement that cracks down on betting circles is already underway. Recently, some people in Mumbai and Delhi were arrested after being caught betting on the outcome of the one-day series between India and Pakistan. Stricter measures should be put in place for curbing these illegal activities.

Commercialising the game by legalising betting will be as bad as dragging it into the arena of politics. That is already being done by using the Indian victory in the one-day series as a part of the National Democratic Alliance's election campaign. Let us save the fine game of cricket from such onslaughts.

B K Chandrashekar

As told to Raghuvir Badrinath