Feature
Virat Kohli breaks relationship with Anushka Sharma, ties nuptial knot in Italy
Florence: Team India skipper Virat Kohli tied the knot with Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma in Italy’s Florence on Monday, watched by family members and close friends.
“Today we have promised each other to be bound in love forever,” Kohli tweeted.
“We are truly blessed to share the news with you. This beautiful day will be made more special with the love and support of our family of fans and well wishers. Thank you for being such an important part of our journey,” Kohli said.
Virat and Anushka, who have been together for four years, chose the luxury heritage resort Borgo Finocchieto, a little over 100 km away from here, for their wedding.
Earlier, actress Anushka Sharma and her family members were dogged by questions on rumours about her wedding to star cricketer Virat Kohli as they made their way into the airport here to take off reportedly for Italy.
Anushka, along with her parents and brother, left from the airport here late on Thursday night. According to several media reports, they have gone to Italy, and rumour mills are abuzz that she will tie the knot with Virat there on December 11, with a reception slated in Mumbai later in the month.
But Anushka’s spokesperson told media persons: “Anushka has gone on a break.”
Virat Kohli puts end on relationship with Anushka Sharma, ties nuptial knot in Italy:
The actress’ family members kept mum as they made their way into the airport.
“Any statement sir? Is Anushka getting married?” a reporter asked Anushka’s father, but was met with a stoic silence.
Her brother Karnesh, who is her partner in their production banner Clean Slate Films, was questioned: “What do you have to say about the rumours about Virat and Anushka getting married?”
“Nothing,” he said.
“Why are you all hiding it? Are they getting married or not?” the media persons persisted, but the questions fell on deaf ears.
Even Anushka went straight into the airport without responding to curious minds.
Virat and Anushka have reportedly been in a relationship with each other for around four years. They have hardly spoken about their relationship, but time and again, their appearances together at different events and occasions, have been proof to their bond.
“Everyday is a Valentine’s Day if you want it to be. You make every day seem like one for me. Anushka Sharma,” Virat had posted on Instagram with a photograph featuring the couple, on the occasion of Valentine’s Day this year.
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.