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‘Star Wars’ actress Carrie Fisher dies at 60
Los Angeles: Carrie Fisher, the actress best-known for playing Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” franchise, has died aged 60, four days after she suffered a cardiac arrest on a flight. Her daughter Billie Lourd said the actress passed away on Tuesday morning after being taken ill travelling from London to Los Angeles, reports telegraph.co.uk. She is survived by her mother, the veteran Hollywood star Debbie Reynolds, who has been by her side along with her close family over Christmas.
Post her cardiac arrest, fans of Fisher had hoped for her recovery following reports that she was “stable”, with her uncle disclosing the family had believed there would be a positive outcome. But a spokesman for the family said: “It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8.55 a.m. She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”
“Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carrie’s Mother,” said 84-year-old Reynolds. Fisher had been in hospital since December 23, when she fell ill on a United Airlines flight. Said to be initially “unresponsive”, she was rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles where she was treated in an intensive care unit but did not regain consciousness.
Four days later, after spending Christmas in hospital, Fisher’s daughter confirmed she had died. Her uncle Bill Reynolds, brother of Debbie, said: “The family all had hope. That’s what the doctors told us, that she would recover. On Christmas Eve we all had dinner together at my sister’s house and said prayers. Everything looked positive and everyone seemed pretty upbeat.”
He added: “We don’t have enough details yet. But the family is all gathering. We all loved her and no one expected anything like this.” Fisher was expected to make her final appearance on screen as General Leia Organa, after completing filming on “Star Wars: Episode VIII.” Her death has already sparked speculation over how the franchise would proceed without her. She had recently been undertaking a book tour for her autobiography, “The Princess Diarist”, making headlines with her mischievous confessions about her youthful affair with Harrison Ford.
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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