Report No. 276

A. Consequences that ensue due to unregulated gambling and betting

8.16 Some of the major problems related to illegal gambling and betting activities are the exponential growth of illegal trade and commerce, and corrupt practices such as spot-fixing and match-fixing being employed in sports, particularly cricket, the most popular sport in India. Left unregulated, this problem could further manifest and grow uncontrollably.

8.17 The data made available to the Commission by the Delhi Police reveals that in the year 2016, 1098 cases have been registered under the gambling act while in 2017, the figure stood at 1273. In 2018 (up to 5 May 2018 alone), 544 cases have been registered. A total of 2916 cases have been registered under the gambling act in a period of 28 months, i.e., 104 cases per month, on an average.

8.18 The Delhi Police terms gambling as "connecting crime" that connects the gambler with other criminal activities. In order to regain the lost money or in an attempt to 'invest' more money into gambling, expecting more return, when gambling is not in a regulatory framework, an illegal gambler is bound to end up in committing other crimes like chain snatching, looting, stealing, etc. Legalising gambling and betting and for effectively regulating such activities could curb creation of more and more criminals.