Law Commission denies recommending to Centre that betting and gambling be legalised in India

Reacting to media reports that it had proposed gambling and betting be legalised  in the country, the Law Commission on Friday clarified that it had “strongly and categorically” recommended to the Centre that such a move was not “desirable.” The Law Commission, on Friday said, “It has been strongly and categorically recommended that legalising betting and gambling in the present scenario is not desirable and that a complete ban on unlawful betting and gambling must be ensured.” The Commission further states: “It has been recommended that effectively regulation remains the only viable option to control gambling, if it is not possible to enforce a complete ban.” [caption id=“attachment_4687461” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representative image[/caption] In their clarification, the Law Commission also said that it has recommended “a number of guidelines and safeguards” to the government — which are to be used only in case the legislators decide to regulate these activities. The Law Commission, led by former Supreme Court Justice BS Chauhan, had submitted its 276th report titled ‘Legal Framework: Gambling and Sports Betting including Cricket in India’ on Thursday to the Central Government. News reports on Friday had said that the Commission had recommended allowing gambling and betting as taxable activities so that they can be used as a source of foreign direct investment.