Three bookies arrested for betting during TNPL 

What's the story

Delhi police have arrested three bookies after busting an online betting racket during Tamil Nadu Premier League 2017. Madhur Varma, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, revealed that the three operated from a rented house in Delhi. Their names are Vinod Sharma, Mukhes Agarwal and Vikas Choudhary.

Among other things, two laptops, 13 mobile phones and three television sets were recovered by the police. A bet of Rs. 4 crore was placed on a game from TNPL 2.

In case you didn’t know...

Various batting dens were raided by the police from across the country during the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League. Several arrests were made, and bookies were also found operating from the same hotel where the teams put up during their tours.

More recently, three people were arrested for betting on the final of the ICC Champions Trophy between India and Pakistan, which the former lost by 180 runs. Despite strong measures being taken to eradicate this menace plaguing the sport, it continues to find its place.

The heart of the matter

In connection to the betting racket busted during the TNPL, the Delhi Police discovered that the accused operated websites to get the details of the match since the live telecast are usually slow by a few seconds from the actual proceedings.

A betting assistant software was used by the three people, which recorded all the bets and the earnings from made each.

What’s next?

The Lodha Committee had recommended legalising betting on cricket matches in India, but the BCCI remains opposed to it. It remains to be seen what steps the Indian board takes in its attempt to eradicate betting.

The TNPL ends on August 20, before which, one can expect several more betting gangs getting busted. Most of the betting takes place during domestic tournaments, especially the IPL.

Author’s Take

Betting will continue to take place, irrespective of the attempts made by the Indian board and the police to stop it. But it is the players who need to be careful, and know the do’s and don’ts when they are approached.

After the IPL spot-fixing scandal of 2013, it was widely expected that all the menaces plaguing the sport, including betting, would be completely nipped in the bud. However, that did not happen, but the Indian law has definitely helped reduce the overall cases of betting with their vigilance.