Feature
Jammu faced discrimination in the past, says Modi
Jammu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said there was a feeling among the people of Jammu region that they have been discriminated against and have not been given their rightful share in development.
“I have worked for my organisation for many years in Jammu and Kashmir. Whenever I would come to Jammu, I was told the region has been discriminated against and deprived of its rightful share in development,” Modi said at a Bharatiya Janata Party election rally at the M.A. Stadium in Jammu.
“Today, I have realised there is substance in this feeling. You must understand that your problems owe their roots to the Congress that has exploited the region for political gain only.”
Modi said the time has come when the people of Jammu should give a befitting reply to the “exploiters of the past” and ensure they do not get a single seat from among the 20 that will go to the polls Dec 20.
Modi hit at at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s statement that the BJP would draw a blank in the Kashmir Valley in the first four phases of polling.
“Does it suit these parties to speak of a regional divide in terms of the Kashmir Valley and the Jammu region? I must tell these leaders that the people of the state have sealed their political future for good,” he said.
The prime minister attacked the Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying families have continued their dynastic rule in the state to the detriment of the people.
“The poorest of the poor must be heard in a democracy and have the chance to change systems and governments, but when dynasties rule in democracies, such chances are lost for good,” he said.
Modi said the National Conference and the PDP have worked a so-called “system of reservation” in Jammu and Kashmir “aimed at rotating power between father and son, and father and daughter”.
In a lighter vein, Modi said he had a complaint to make about the people of Jammu who did not turn up in half the number as they did Tuesday compared to when he had come to seek mandate as the prime ministerial candidate six months back.
He introduced BJP candidates for Jammu district and sought votes for them.
Twenty constituencies in Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri districts of Jammu region will vote Dec 20 in the fifth and final phase of the assembly elections.
Entertainment
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.