On Sunday late-night, India police detained 58 suspects on a gambling den housed in a Ghitorni village hotel basement, Delhi.
According to India Today, during a search of the property, police captured rupees worth about $15,000, some 6,000 plastic gambling tokens, and five poker tables. The Hindustan Times reported that Police also seized 65 mobile phones.
Further, according to India Today, those arrested included financial traders, industrialists, jewelers, and business executives and they were recruited by organizers through WhatsApp — and some participants even placed bets through the app.
Police said, the locations of the temporary gambling dens kept changing, but recently moved to the unnamed hotel. According to the Times, to maintain secrecy, participants were only given an address near the gambling den, and once there, someone would direct them to the specific gaming site.
India Today said that Sajid Khan, who was identified as a gym owner, rented the hotel’s basement. Two of his friends organized the gambling activity.
The Times reported that Police added they will also take unspecified “action” against the hotel.
The gaming event took place before Diwali, a religious multi-day festival of lights. It kicks off on Sunday and many residents choose to gamble with cards during the holiday.
Gambling generally is illegal in India. But the growing spending capability of customers is fuelling market growth for smart casino gaming equipment as per a report by Value Market Research. However, increasing penetration of online gambling and the high tax imposed by governments along with the addictive behavior of low-income groups toward gambling are expected to act as challenges to market growth.
In India, legislators have considered legalizing gambling. Now, sports betting and other types of wagering are basically against the national law.
In 2017, the Indian gambling market, both legal and illegal, was estimated at $60 billion annually.
Naira Shekhawat has been into Content Writing just after completing her Graduation in English Literature. Her love for words has won her many accolades in her respective jobs ever since. Naira covers business sections for VMR News. She is a traveller by heart and loves writing on food blogs as a freelancer.