Need to Legalize Gambling in India

It is clear that there is a dire need to legalize gambling in India as currently, the industry is being run by illegal establishments, doing a lot of harm and depriving the country of important revenue. The efforts of the police in the city of Hyderabad in India, to curb illegal gambling have gone in vain, as clubs are increasingly resorting to innovative methods to bypass police efforts. The Hyderabad police had started raiding clubs involved in illegal gambling this March and in a short while, managed to shut down most of the 50-odd registered clubs in the city.

Club owners were quick to condemn the police action and retorted, saying that the police had violated the 1997 judgment of the high court, which states that clubs that were registered and needed no police permission as they were meant for recreational activities only for their members.

Recently, the court was approached again by club managements and managed to get an order in their favor. The order stated that Rummy, being a skill based game, was legal. That did not seem to worry the police, as even after the order was passed they managed to force a few more clubs into closing down. It was alleged that the police resorted to methods like providing false evidence to prove that clubs were involved in playing chance based games.

By now, club managers have become familiar with the methods of the police and have come up with their own methods to counter police action. CCTV cameras are being increasingly used in clubs to contradict allegations by the police and as a result, raids have almost come to nothing.

With registered clubs protected by law, police have now become oblivious to the gambling issue. Seizing the opportunity, newer unauthorized gambling dens have sprung up in the last month alone and have escaped police scrutiny. As of now, gambling is going at full-throttle in many key areas of the city. There are many illegal gambling establishments in the city, backed by several ministers. With powerful people in the business, the police force has become helpless.

When questioned about the inability of the police to tackle illegal gambling in the city, joint commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat replied that the police are entitled to conduct searches in any place where illegal activities are conducted and that any organization that violates the law will be brought to book.

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