Feature
Junior Hockey World Cup: India thrash minnows Canada
Lucknow: India thrashed minnows Canada 4-0 to give their campaign at the 11th FIH Junior Hockey World Cup a rousing start here on Thursday.India led the Pool D match through a Mandeep Singh (35th minute) goal on the brink of half-time before striking thrice through Harmanpreet Singh (46th), Varun Kumar (60th) and Ajit Pandey (66th) in the second period.
The Indians dominated proceedings right from the start and pushed the Canadians onto the backfoot.But the visitors produced some gritty defending to prevent the Indians from scoring for most of the first half. The hosts earned two penalties in the early stages but could not capitalise on them. Canadian goalkeeper Iqwinder Gill produced a superb save to keep out an effort from Harmanpreet.The relentless pressure by the Indians finally bore fruit almost at the stroke of half-time when Mandeep punched in a rebound to open the scoring.
The hosts dominated the second half as well. They earned two consecutive penalty corners a little after the restart but could not capitalise on them.They doubled their tally a few minutes later when Harmanpreet scored from a penalty stroke.The Indians created several more chances before Varun struck from a penalty corner to score the third goal for the hosts.Pandey then rounded off the tally in the closing stages when he struck a field goal after some excellent build-up play.
In another Pool C encounter earlier in the day, England beat South Africa 4-2 in an exciting clash.Edward Holer (5th, 9th) converted a couple of penalty corners in the first 10 minutes to help England establish their domination in the early stages. Peter Scott (11th) then scored a field goal a couple of minutes later as England opened up a comfortable 3-0 lead.The South Africans reduced the margin thanks to a field goal by Matthew de Sousa (13th) before Ryan Crowe (56th) struck in the second half to give them a glimmer of hope.
But Jonathan Griffiths (62nd) scored a late field goal to make the issue safe for England.In other matches on the opening day, defending champions Germany defeated Spain 2-1 in a battle of heavyweights in Pool C.The Germans, who have won the last two editions of this tournament, took the lead through a field goal by Anton Boeckel (25th) a little before the half-hour mark.Manual Bordas Fabregas (48th) restored parity for Spain in the second half before Timm HerzBruch (63rd) clinched the issue for Germany.New Zealand beat Japan in another Pool C match thanks to a second half goal by Oliver Logan (55th).
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
