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20 cases of betting registered during IPL: Central Crime Branch, Bengaluru
While cases of betting during the IPL have surfaced in Bengaluru, online gaming companies have approached the Karnataka high court seeking a stay on the legislation banning all gambling apps in the state
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Bengaluru on Wednesday said it has so far registered 20 cases of betting during the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of the biggest sporting events globally.
“In the recently concluded IPL, CCB booked (a) total of 20 cricket betting cases and seized ₹78 lakhs, arrested 27 accused,” Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police (CCB), said in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement came even as online gaming companies have approached the Karnataka high court seeking a stay on the legislation banning all gambling apps in the state.
Patil told HT the cases were registered over the last two to three weeks or during the IPL season. “All this (cases) happened before the ban,” Patil said. He added gambling in itself is an offence under the Karnataka Police Act.
The Karnataka Police (Amendment) Bill was passed last month and banned “any act or risking money, or otherwise on the unknown result of an event including on a game of skill.”
The online gaming industry, which gained significant traction during the Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, was slated to grow from 360 million gamers to 510 million by 2022, according to a 2021 report by All India Gaming Federation and EY. The report estimated that online real money game players were expected to grow from 80 million in 2020 to 150 million by 2023.
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Estimates indicate that Karnataka, known for its prowess in technology, accounts for around 15% of the country’s market.
According to the Internet and Mobile Association of India, 92 gaming companies registered in Bengaluru employed over 4,000 people and, in the last three years alone, attracted ₹3000 crores in investments.
Patil said the amendment to the law empowers police to crack down on such service providers.
To be sure, most online gaming and gambling apps have disabled their services in Karnataka after the notification of the law on October 5.
