By Benjamin Lyngdoh
The issue of legalised gambling in Meghalaya is of much concern for the church. Now, some pressure groups and political parties have started to join the protest. Keeping these developments in mind, it is important to draw the line somewhere. Who are the genuine complainants and should be listened to? The pressure groups are not really concerned whether gambling is legalised or not. If they are really so, then they should make a bigger noise on the matter. The political parties are just opportunistic and any protest they make is with the knowledge that the church is an important vote bank in Meghalaya. It may not be too visible in Shillong and other towns. But, in villages there have been instances where the church in itself directs the faithful to vote or not vote a particular candidate(s). As such, the brief here is only the church and the state government while factoring the socio-cultural fabric of the people at large.
At the outset, legalised gambling must not be equated with the promotion and encouragement of the activity. They are in truth two different things. Simply because gambling is legalised it does not mean that there will be a mushrooming of gambling parlours. On the contrary, it would discourage those who are in the lookout to open a gambling parlour just for the sake of exploiting money from the people. It would bring in professionalism and control on the activities of a gambling business. This is the biggest advantage of legalised gambling. Under the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021, license would be issued after due diligence and once operational the gambling parlour would have to abide by the rules and directions as laid down.
Rules on operational procedures are critical in ensuring the interest of the client is protected. Now, there is scope for punitive action if any gambling parlour contravenes the regulations especially in terms of conduct of games and betting. Importantly, age limit for entry can be properly enforced; opening and close timings adhered to, along with a check on unruly behaviour/excessive drinking, etc. Moreover, localities/areas can be identified beforehand which are appropriate or admissible for setting up of a gambling business. Till today, there is no proper estimate on the economic value of the gambling sector. This is revenue foregone by the state. Legalising it would keep a tab on the number of gambling businesses and their activities and thereby generate returns through taxes.
From a practical viewpoint, gambling is basically classified into two – One ‘a game of skill’ and Two, ‘a game of chance’. Today, the game of skill is very common amongst the youth. For example, the English Premier League is very popular and many do play its fantasy football. Depending upon the fantasy team that one selects and plays, one can win points and at the end of it all receive rewards. A similar example for cricket is Dream 11. Moreover, many are already exposed to gambling through online platforms such as Parimatch, betway, 22bet, etc. All of these international platforms allow payments in Indian rupees. In terms of reviews, Parimatch is found to be very popular in India as it provides a whole range of games and betting across sports and card games whereby a participant can bet with an amount as low as Rs. 10/-. Incidentally today, the top bet happening in Parimatch sports is whether Manchester City or Liverpool will win the premier league on 22nd May, 2022. Hence, the real issue is not primarily only of a gambling parlour as a physical structure. It is about the many who are already involved in online gaming/gambling through their gadgets. Point being, the involvement in a game of skill has the potential to percolate into partaking in a game of chance (explicit gambling). For safeguarding against such pitfalls, legalised gambling can help keep a check on the involvement of youth. In addition, there are many who do gambling as a hobby. These people too are stakeholders and must be included in this debate.
The church has raised the issue of ‘morality’. Gambling is immoral and the person who indulges in it is frowned upon. On logical thought, the making of such rigid relationships is problematic. What about corruption, exploitation, extortion, violence, intimidation, etc? Are these not immoral? Morality is not institutional; rather, it is personal. If you like, morality is subjective too. Hence, it would be better if this view of institutionalising a personality trait as an argument against legalised gambling is done away with. The other term used by the church is ‘nefarious activities’. To be blunt, it would mean acts such as drinking, unruly behaviour, trouble making, exploitation, prostitution, etc. Yes, it is agreed. These are major concerns indeed. But, are we not already having these problems? It is unfair to just equate everything negative with gambling. For example, take the problem of prostitution. All that one needs to do is take an evening walk in the dark alleys of Khyndai Lad (Police Bazar). Well, one might argue that the problem has become so rampant now as the sex workers do not have any legal rights. Legalised gambling can help curb this problem. A gambling parlour must be only for game of skill/chance and nothing more.
In the recent discourse, two rather bizarre arguments have come forth. Firstly, is to allow only tourists into the gambling parlours. This is the most outlandish premise that one can think of. As a business enterprise how would one distinguish between a local and a tourist? By definition, a person from Shillong who goes to Ri-Bhoi district and stays there for a night is also a tourist. What is to be done in such a case? It is like shooting oneself on the foot. The best way forward is regulation to check that only the eligible ones can enter a gambling parlour. Secondly, the image of the people of Meghalaya will be hampered. Well, most people will agree that it is already hampered. Why associate gambling to it? Gambling in itself will not add much to the negative image as much as corruption and unemployment has done. Plus, many people have made Meghalaya a weekend destination for partying and drinking across its hotels, resorts, etc. This goes against the very principle of experience-based and high-end tourism. This is a more important issue that needs redressal because of the sheer numbers it involves. In legalised gambling, licences will be accorded to a few. As far as drinking and merrymaking is concerned, it is open to all.
In the end, gambling is already popular in Meghalaya. The teer counters are aplenty in most localities. It is a game of chance with certain elements of skill such as interpreting dreams. The already existing gambling parlours are also of a good number. Hence, it would be more advantageous to legalise the entire sector not only in terms of money but also in terms of controlling their functioning and their activities. This will also help keep a check on the perceived negative impacts on the socio-cultural fabric.
(The writer teaches at NEHU. Email: [email protected])