Feature
Can you imagine people live in ‘Coffin-size houses’ in this country!
Do you know that there is a country in this world where people in place of living in comfortable lifestyle but in place they literally live in coffin-size houses. Can you guess the name of this country? If not then we will reveal you about this nation.
Despite living a relatively comfortable life, all of us somewhere have aspirations to do better and to have more in life. And sometimes in the strive to achieve, we often forget how privileged we are to have shelter, food and a comfortable lifestyle.
A photographer named Benny Lam recently captured a few photos of houses in Hong Kong, where people literally live in coffin-size houses wherein they have their kitchen and toilets just a few feet away.
The photos will make your heartache. Take a look yourself-
1. The search of sleep:- The whole room is clustered with all sorts of things and the man is still trying to find sleep amidst all the chaos.
2. The small circle:- A kitchen, a toilet and a wash area, in the same place? Trying to fit it all at once.
3. Together in it all:- Look how the three of them are trying to have their meals together. Finding happiness together.
4. Finding peace in the cluster:- Look how the man is reading amidst the small place in-between his clothes and a little TV.
5. The silver space:- Doesn’t it look like a train compartment?
Weird: Do you believe people live in ‘Coffin-size houses’ in this country!
6. From above:- An aerial view of the place that shows how difficult it must be for these people to exist here.
7. Ambitions:- Look how the children are dedicated to studying despite the conditions they’re living in.
8. Adjusting away:- There’s barely any space to spread out the feet to sleep in comfortably.
9. Everything at one place:- How he is resting in the same place where his clothes are kept!
10. The mess:- Everything is in one place and it’s all a mess. It’s bound to be.
11. Sleepless nights:- The place doesn’t let them have peaceful sleep at night, even after a tiring day.
12. Living in a box:- Look how the man is living boxed in his house where he’s eating in the same place, where he has to sleep next.
Now can you imagine that people in Hong Kong actually pay a huge sum to live in these houses?
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.