Govt wants to turn every 'paan' shop into gambling den: Congress on legalising betting on sports

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday said the social implications of legalising betting on sports were "enormous" and asked the government whether it wanted to convert every 'paan shop' in the country into a 'gambling den' with the move. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said at a time when the economy was in distress, the government was legalising betting on sports.

"If you legalise betting on sports, not only will you destroy sports, but turn every 'paan (betel leaf) shop' of this country into a 'Juye Ka Adda' (gambling den)," he told reporters.

"The reason why most of the Indian states do not have lottery or the fact that lottery is banned, is because of the extremely negative social implications of gambling," the Congress leader said.

It is high time the NDA-led central government realise the consequences of their "mal-governance and mal-administration", the opposition party said.

The Law Commission had yesterday recommended that gambling and betting on sports, including cricket, be allowed as regulated activities taxable under the direct and indirect tax regimes and used as a source for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).