New Delhi: While arguing that betting on sports should be legalised in India, CBI director Ranjit Sinha made a bizarre and controversial comparison with the heinous crime of rape, saying: “If you cannot prevent rape, you enjoy it.”
Sinha, who was on a panel discussing ethics and integrity in sport, said there was “no harm” if betting on sports was legalised.
“If we can have lotteries in states, holiday resorts’ casinos, if the government can declare voluntary disclosure for black money, what’s the harm in legalising betting?” He went on: “And do we have the enforcement agencies?It’s very easy to say... if you cannot enforce it. It’s like if you cannot prevent rape, you enjoy it... It’s better to have something, legalise it, earn some revenue rather than throwing your hands up and let things happen.”
BCCI against legalising betting
The BCCI?has opposed the CBI director’s suggestion of legalising betting to curb the menace of match-fixing.
Ravi Sawani, chief of BCCI’s anti corruption and Security unit, said legalising betting will in no way help reducing corruption from the game.
Sawani, who on the panel of a session ‘Ethics and integrity in sports’ , held by the CBI, said in each IPL game, legal bets from one exchange in the UK are about Rs 440 crore whereas for the tournament, bets worth Rs 66,000 crore approximately are placed which include illegal betting syndicates.
The CBI director Ranjit Sinha had earlier suggested that said there was no harm in legalising betting in the country. “Besides you will have enforcement agencies to look into it.”
