Only Legal Betting Can Stop Indian Match-Fixing

Seventy-four percent of Indian businesses agree with the basic premise that "legalized sports betting will help curb match-fixing," according to the results of a survey published this week by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

These businesses are simply repeating what those in the sports betting business already know: that placing a wager is a popular global activity among all cultures, and that the only way to keep it clean is to make it legal, regulated and above board.

Match-fixing is a problem in India, and nowhere more so than in the Indian Premier League and cricket betting. A number of separate scandals have rocked the IPL recently, including a TV sting operation exposing players involved in match-fixing

The IPL has brought the gentleman's game into the modern era, packing what was once a slow game spread across five days into three hours of non-stop entertainment complete with music, cheerleaders, fireworks and big hitting batsmen.

India's gambling laws have not kept up - they remain fixed in the 19 th century, when British colonial law effectively banned the practice. Now, more than ever, these laws need to be revised to fit the 21 st century reality in which sport is big business and sports betting is even bigger business.

Legalizing online betting will create a new reality in India and set an example for other countries in the region: it will help spur business and job creation, boost government revenues and give regular Indians the opportunity to gamble in a responsible rather than a murky underground environment.

Most importantly, by cleaning up betting and bringing it above ground, it will help prevent the match-fixing and corruption scandals that threaten to discredit popular national sports - in particular the most popular pastime of all, cricket. 

For a country-by-country list of online gambling legality, visit our page.