New Delhi: Former India cricket captain Rahul Dravid said, on Tuesday, that he is in favour of legalising betting in the country if such a step can help reduce corruption in sports.
Asked if he was in favour of legalising betting in the country, Dravid said, “If it can help in reducing corruption, I am all for it.”
Dravid was speaking at a special session on ‘Ethics and Integrity in Sports’ organised by the Central Bureau of Investigation here.
He pointed out four integrity issues in Indian sport that require legal intervention.
“While the subject matter of sports integrity is very vast in its scope, I would like to focus the attention of legislators and policy makers in our midst to matters that I believe require immediate attention.
“There are four integrity issues in Indian sport that require legal intervention, which are, age fraud, doping, deliberate under-performance and player involvement in the betting industry,” said the former skipper.
Dravid also favoured sportspersons signing the “whereabouts” clause of anti-doping agency WADA as this would reduce chances of corrupt practices in the game.
Dravid is the first cricketer to have aired his view on this issue which has not been agreed to by BCCI or the current senior national team players.
Under this agreement, a player has to sign an agreement with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to provide information about their exact location as well as engagements for three months in advance, which the cricketers opposed, saying that it violates their privacy. (PTI)