Feature
N. Korea threatens missile launch anytime, blames US
Seoul: Asserting that it can test-launch an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) at any time from any location chosen by leader Kim Jong-un, North Korea on Monday said the US’s hostile policy was to blame for its arms development. “The ICBM will be launched anytime and anywhere determined by the supreme headquarters of North Korea,” said a Foreign Ministry spokesman who was cited by official news agency KCNA.
The spokesman said the inter-continental ballistic missile programme is part of the country’s response to the “increasingly perverse nuclear threat” posed by the US. Kim said on January 1 in his New Year message that his nuclear-capable country was close to test-launching an ICBM, Efe news reported.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Sunday that North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes constitute a “serious threat” to the US. Washington is prepared to shoot down a North Korean missile launch or test “if it were coming towards our territory, or the territory of our friends and allies”, Carter said on NBC’s show Meet the Press.
US President-elect Donald Trump responded last week to Kim’s comments on an ICBM test by declaring in a tweet, “It won’t happen!” Analysts have said that while Pyongyang may be close to testing an ICBM, it would likely take years to perfect the weapon. A South Korean official said North Korea’s latest threat is seen as a form of pressuring the US to change its tough stance towards Pyongyang ahead of the inauguration of a new US administration.
“Pyongyang also appears to shift responsibility for its provocation to the US if it launches the missile,” South Korea’s Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee told Yonhap news agency. “There is no imminent indication of North Korea test-firing an ICBM since Pyongyang did not engage in a missile provocation on Kim Jong-un’s birthday (on Sunday),” he said.
Pyongyang’s warning is widely seen as targeting Trump who will take office on January 20. He has not unveiled clear directions of his North Korea policy, but experts forecast Trump to be tough on Pyongyang. Jeong warned that North Korea will face international sanctions and pressure if it fires off an ICBM. “We are once again urging North Korea to walk on the path towards denuclearisation,” the spokesman said.
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.
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