Feature
SC allows DD to beam all India-centric World Cup matches
New Delhi: Cricket fans across the country will continue to be able to watch all India-centric matches of the ongoing World Cup — as also the semifinals and final — on public broadcaster Doordarshan, the Supreme Court said Friday.
The Supreme Court stayed Delhi High Court’s order restraining Doordarshan from carrying the live feed of matches provided to it by the Star TV. Doordarshan’s match coverage is routed through cable networks.
Continuing the stay of the Delhi High Court verdict, the apex court bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Prafulla C. Pant, in its order, said: “We are of the view that the interim order, passed earlier to the effect that the impugned order dated 04.02.2015 of the High Court shall remain suspended, should continue until further orders.”
Two suggestions by Star TV asking Prasar Bharti to set up a new channel to carry the live feed of the World Cup cricket matches or alternately carry a scroll saying that telecast of the matches was only for Doordarshan, did not find favour with the court.
The apex court by its Feb 10 interim order had stayed the operation of the Delhi High Court order.
SC noted that formation of a new or alternate channel by Doordarshan to beam World Cup matches as suggested by the Star TV was “unviable and technically unfeasible within any reasonable period of time”.
The court declined to consider Star TV’s offer of extending its expertise and personnel to aid Prasar Bharati in setting up a new channel.
“We are not inclined to consider the said offer made on behalf of Star TV,” the court said, adding: “The first suggestion put forward, therefore, does not merit acceptance.”
“Acceptance of the said suggestion would be understanding the provisions of Section 3 of the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007 and Section 8 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 in a particular manner which is not warranted at this stage of the proceedings” the court said in its order.
The court order came on an appeal by the central government and public broadcaster Prasar Bharati challenging the Feb 4 verdict of the Delhi High court.
The Centre and Prasar Bharti had moved the apex court Feb 9 challenging the Feb 4 Delhi High Court order by which Doordarshan was barred from sharing with cable operators the live feed provided to it by the ESPN and Star, which holds exclusive telecasting rights for the World Cup.
The Delhi High Court had passed the order on the plea of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), ESPN and Star who said that cable TV operators were getting live feeds through DD channels free of cost, resulting in loss of revenue for them.
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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