Feature
GOQii unveils waterproof Vital fitness band at Rs 3, 499 in India
Mumbai: GOQii, a domestic fitness technology player, on Thursday unveiled its waterproof “Vital fitness band” with blood pressure monitor and heart rate sensor at Rs. 3,499.
“GOQii Vital” features a colour OLED Touch Screen, that measures and displays users’ steps, calories, distance, heart rate, blood pressure level as well as sleep.
The device will be available exclusively with Amazon and GOQii Health store. It will be premiered during the Amazon Prime Day on July 16.
“With GOQii Vital we have become the first company of its kind, to integrate a blood pressure monitor and heart rate in an activity tracker with the ability to seamlessly share the data with doctors, and health experts,” Vishal Gondal, Founder and CEO of GOQii, said in a statement.
“Data along with the right advice will help encourage people to pursue holistic healthcare regime and focus on a preventive health mindset,” he added.
The Vital band displays both systolic (upper number) and diastolic pressure (bottom number) with a good degree of accuracy. It also has a sports mode, which can help while running, workout or cycling, sends notifications, and lets users set alarms.
GOQii launches waterproof ‘Vital fitness band’ in India at Rs 3,499:
However, it is not a medical device and not a replacement to a sphygmomanometer — an instrument for measuring blood pressure. Patients with hypertension should consult their doctor before use, the statement said.
Vital comes with an inbuilt USB charger and its battery life is pegged to be up to seven days, depending on usage.
With the purchase of Vital fitness band, the company is also offering a three months coaching plan free.
GOQii also introduced “GOQii Play”, where users can access live videos featuring various health experts, doctors, fitness trainers, emotional health counsellors and health influencers on the GOQii App at various time slots through the day and interact with them via the videos and have their questions clarified in real time.
“GOQii Play” has been added to an existing array of features like GOQii cash, GOQii health store, Arena, Digital Health locker, HRA, diagnostics, doctors ad expert consult, insurance and many other health focused offerings, the statement noted.
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.