ACU Chief Ajit Singh Suggests New Law To Counter Match-Fixing

Updated - 17 Sep 2019, 07:12 PM

ACU Chief Ajit Singh. Credits - Twitter

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Cricket Betting has always been a huge problem in India. As the betting is considered as illegal in the country, the officials are facing a tough time to decode the ways of betting in India. Though they have managed to make things fall in place, still, the bookies are finding their own ways to survive. Meanwhile, ACU chief Ajit Singh suggests a new law to counter such issues.

He wants the cricket betting to be legalised in India. So, he feels that it will be easy for the officials to arrest the match-fixers, as everything will be recorded in the systems. The BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit chief Ajit Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday suggested a match-fixing law, besides legalisation of betting, to tackle corruption in Indian cricket.

Illegal betting can be controlled by legalising it – Ajit Singh

In the light of cases emerging from the leagues of Mumbai, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu this year, the match-fixing or spot-fixing become unstoppable in the country. The recent reports suggest that the suicide of a team owner in TNPL VB Chandrasekhar also related to the betting, which saw him in huge debts.

Match-fixing, Ajit Singh — Chennai Super Kings. (Photo By Vishal Bhatnagar/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (Photo by Vishal Bhatnagar/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

It was after 12 cricketers, including national and international, reported corrupt approaches in the last one year, the Tamil Nadu Premier League came under scanner for suspect activity and a woman cricketer reported an approach from a bookie. Meanwhile, ACU chief Ajit Singh speaks to PTI on the same story.

“It is not unstoppable. We probably require a law against it, a match-fixing law. If there is a clear law against it, police will also have a clear cut role,” Shekhawat said. Maybe there could be thinking about legalising gambling. So that all this illegal business which goes on can be controlled. Legal betting will be done under some parameters and it can be controlled.

“It will also bring a huge amount of revenue for the government. Close to what the excise department generates. The amount of money which is bet on sports is mindboggling,” said the retired IPS officer.

The ideology behind Ajit Singh is that – if betting becomes legal in India, all the players list with be registered in the systems and it will be easily known when someone does things away from the legalised betting. By this way, one can counter the match-fixing as well.