Feature
Satnam creates history, becomes first Indian in NBA
New York/Mumbai: Hoopster Satnam Singh Bhamara on Friday created history by becoming the first Indian to get drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The seven feet two inches tall, 131 kg Indian was picked by Dallas Mavericks. The 19-year-old Satnam earlier took part in training sessions with top teams like Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics. He was the second round, 52nd pick in the NBA draft and among 60 men who will play basketball in the next season.
An ecstatic Satnam after achieving the feat said he was delighted to become the first Indian to enter the NBA, adding that this will help more Indians to take up basketball and play it professionally.
“I had the confidence while training that I would be selected by any team. I made good preparations and it paid off. It feels great that someone from India will be playing in the NBA,” Satnam told the Indian media from New York via a tele-conference call on Friday.
“I would want more Indians to take up basketball at the professional level and play in NBA. The youngsters back home can now look up to someone as motivation,” he said.
Satnam, who hails from a remote village in Punjab, moved to the United States in September 2010 as part of a scholarship programme between IMG Academy and Reliance.
During the 2014-15 season, he averaged 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in less than 20 minutes per game for IMG. For the last five years Satnam has been training in Florida with youths of various countries on an initiative of the IMG Reliance Academy. The 19-year-old did not receive any scholarship to play for American colleges.
Satnam thanked his coach S. Subramaniam for all the hard work he put in.
“I thank my coach Subramaniam very much. I am missing him a lot. He has helped me a lot and I can’t say it in words. He is the best coach,” he said.
Satnam said star American cager Kobe Bryant is his role model and he looks up to him for inspiration. “I look up to Kobe Bryant as one of the inspirations. He is a class player and my role model.”
This also marks the first time since 2005 that a player has entered the draft without playing in college, overseas, professionally or in the NBA Development League.
After being drafted by the Mavericks, the instance makes him the first player to be drafted directly from high school and the first since the league instituted age restrictions on players that someone from high school could be selected in the draft.
He is nicknamed ‘Chhotu’, which means little one. He said his parents were praying for him all the time, adding that he prayed to all his gurus and God before the results.
“My parents, especially my mother and sister, are praying for me for a long time. I prayed to my gurus and God before the results,” he said.
Before Bhamara, Toronto-born Gursimran ‘Sim’ Bhullar became the first player of Indian origin to play in the NBA when he turned out for the Sacramento Kings in three games in April. He said Bhullar congratulated him on his success and wished him.
“Sim Bhullar congratulated me and told me all the best,” Satnam said.
Since the inaugural 1980-81 season, the Mavericks have won three division titles (1987, 2007, 2010), two conference championships (2006, 2011) and one NBA championship (2011).
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.
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
