Feature
China,Pakistan vow to further deepen all-weather friendship
Islamabad:China and Pakistan have vowed here to further deepen the all-weather friendship between the two countries.
The move came as the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad on Tuesday evening held a reception to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan.
The dinner reception was one of the series of the events being held to celebrate the 65th anniversary of establishment of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations, which were formally established on May 21, 1951.
Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong hosted the reception at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad which was attended by Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning, National Reforms, and Development Ahsan Iqbal, parliamentarians, diplomats, scholars, intellectuals, analysts, officers from Pakistan’s armed forces, and the people from all walks of life.
In his welcome speech, Ambassador Sun paid tribute and gratitude to the people from all walks life for their efforts to promote China-Pakistan relations, saying the friendship between the two peoples has long and enduring history and it would continue with its uniqueness.
“The cornerstones of China-Pakistan relations are equality, sincerity, mutual benefits, mutual assistance, people-oriented and shared prosperity. China-Pakistan relations have become model for the state-to-state relations and social systems. To furthering national prosperity and peoples’ well-being, China and Pakistan will always join hands with resolve and build together the community of shared destiny,” said Sun.
Addressing the reception gathering, Pakistani President Hussain said “All-weather friendship between Pakistan and China had transformed into a strategic partnership, which is not only a source of stability for the two countries but stands for the development and betterment of humankind. And this friendship has taken roots at the people-to-people level, unaffected by any international development.”
Paying tributes to Pakistanis and Chinese who laid their lives during the construction of Silk Road, the president said “this sincere friendship will pass on to our future generations and the world will not only marvel at the exemplary ties but will also greatly benefit from it which will facilitate global peace and stability and open up new avenues of progress and prosperity.”
The president and other dignitaries jointly cut a cake to mark the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The guests were also amused by the performances of the Chinese dragon dance and Pakistan’s traditional dance by the local artists.
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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