Three years ago, the sports ministry commissioned the study of gambling regimes in countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, however no progress was ever made on that front. Several months ago, these studies were revived, along with research done by FICCI which supports the idea of sports betting in India.

Times of India quoted a source close to the government who said: “We are still at a preliminary stage of examining the issue. It is one way of curbing illegal betting. Revenue too was a major motivating factor. In one of its knowledge papers published recently, FICCI quoted a KPMG report as saying that India’s betting market stood at Rs 300,000 crore with a possible revenue of Rs 12,000-Rs19,000 crore to the government. If this is the sort of money involved, we felt a study would help. But we haven’t come up with any concrete proposal yet.”

The government will make recommendations which will then be sent to other ministerial departments (law, finance and home) to receive their input which is seen as extremely important.

The sports ministry is realistic about the many hurdles it will face until regulated sports betting is introduced in India.

“The general perception is that we would be encouraging gambling,” the source is quoted as saying. “The fact remains that regulating betting only minimizes the dangers of match-fixing. It cannot root out the malaise. So public opinion will matter a lot. Earlier, there was an outcry against legalizing online lotteries. We have to respect public sentiment. I don’t think it would be an easy decision to take.”

Secretary of the BCCI Sanjay Jagdale said about the matter: “The BCCI has zero tolerance for corruption. We will offer all co-operation to the Delhi police and all other authorities in their investigations in this matter.”

According to initial reports, the three men were paid money to concede a predetermined number of runs over three different IPL matches.

Neeraj Kumar, Delhi police commissioner, explained how Sreesanth was paid nearly $73,000 (4 million rupees) to concede 13 or more runs in his second over of a match earlier this month. The bookie was signaled by Sreesanth through a towel placed in his waistband. According to the police commissioner: “Sreesanth bowled the first over without the towel. In the second over, he put a towel in his trousers and then, in order to give bookies time to indulge in betting, he did some warming up, some stretching exercises, and then went on to give 13 runs.

Eleven bookmakers have been arrested in this incident, but the police said that the involvement of other cricket players has been ruled out at present. “The mastermind is sitting abroad” according to Kumar, who said that there is proof that “there are overseas connections” and “that the underworld is involved”.

Recently, Pakistan players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were jailed in the United Kingdom for their involvement in match fixing in a Test Match against England.

The Deltin Daman, which is set to open within this year, will boast 186 rooms in a five star luxury hotel complex. It will also include a 35,000 square feet space for a large casino facility, which will incorporate bars and restaurants for patrons to enjoy. Other facilities of the new hotel-casino complex include a pool with a pool bar, a pastry shop, a spa with different treatments available, a fully equipped gym, conference facilities and parking facilities.

Speaking of the hotel and casino management deal signed with Delta Corporation, AHS’s Dharkar said: “This is an exciting management cooperation for AHS India to manage two unique properties which will continue to establish our strong foothold and market presence of our company in the hotel and hospitality sectors in India. We are working with the owners to launch the all suite property the Deltin Suites to make sure that international service standards are in place which will yield profitable results. Our team is also working closely with the project team for the successful opening of another hotel which is the 5 star Deltin Daman.”

Delta has already obtained a license to operate a casino in the area. The group already owns one of India’s largest offshore casino vessels in Goa, the Casino Royale, which has been operated by Delta Corporation since 2008. There are currently 13 casinos in Goa and another in Sikkim.

The match broke records for individual team members as well, with Murali Viljay hitting three sixes in an innings for the first time this tournament. The player is now averaging 17;00 in ten innings. Chennai batsman, Michael Hussey became the third in the team to complete 1500 or more at the IPL 2013 within 41 matches. Hussey’s record has only been beaten by Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni who have run more runs for Chennai at the IPL. Hussey also became the first batsman to register 5 fifties this tournament, recording 111 fifties in 41 matches.

Man of the Match, Suresh Raina, became the first batsman to complete 2,700 runs at the IPL and celebrated an excellent unbeaten 99 score – a first in IPL history. Raina’s performance proved once again why he is considered such as team player, first supporting Michael Hussey and then joining the run party once Raina crossed 50.

Sports analysts and fans alike reported on an excellent atmosphere at the stadium, which was packed with people from all walks of life. The heat was eased slightly by the evening showers, which only added to the easy vibe.
The crowds cheered Chennai more than they did the Sunrisers and went wild for MS Dhoni who, unfortunately, failed to deliver the goods and left quickly after a few loose shots.

Analysts also said that it was a shame that Hyderabad didn’t put up a stronger fight, which would have added more excitement to the game.

The nomination of Sivaramakrishnan saw him replace Australia’s Tim May and aimed to showcase India’s growing influence on international cricket.

The Federation of International Cricketers Association has called on the ICC to launch an investigation into the nomination of Siva over Australia’s May, hinting that captains may have been forced to vote against him. May serves as CEO of the Federation of International Cricketers Association which is pushing for an ethics committee inquiry.

The FICA alleges that a re-vote was called after May won 9-1 against Sivaramakrishnan, and captains for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Pakistan were pressured into giving Siva their vote.

Legal adviser for FICA, Ian Smith was quoted as saying: “In light of media reports that five ICC full member boards applied direct pressure on their captains to amend their votes in the recent elections, FICA`s official stance is that these allegations must warrant careful and independent scrutiny.”

Siva responded to the criticism by side-stepping accusations of pressure placed on test captains and pointing out, instead, his over 30 years of experience in the world of cricket – first as a cricketer and later as a commentator.

“I am sure there are a lot of cricket-related matters that are going to be discussed,” said the new ICC player representative. “And I think I have been around for a long time. I’ve been associated with the game for around 33 years and I have a lot of contribution to make.”

Cricket is a hugely popular sport in India and generates millions in wagering revenue by fans of the game.

The Chennai Super Kings were first up to bat, and began with a slow start. As the game went on, both Raina and Dhoni helped the team to reach 164 for three. The Pune Warriors did not have a good game, and ended on a dismal 127 for nine.

Earlier on in the game, the Chennai Super Kings lost a couple of players early. Michael Hussey ended on 5, and Wriddhiman Saharna on 13. While the Pune bowlers had began with this good work, Badrinath and Raina made sure to provide the team with a steady and solid 75 runs in the third wicket.

When Raina and Dhoni were partnered as batters in the fourth wicket, they managed a 61 runs for the fourth wicket. In the last four overs, Dhoni got a number of fours, and three sixes. The last of these sixes was hit off the last ball. Raina hit one six and five fours. In the last four overs, the Chennai Super Kings made 50 runs. While Raina made his 50 runs, Dhoni was the player that helped take the team over 150 runs.

Pune began with some great bowling by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, and the Australian, Kane Richardson. The Chennai Super Kings started out with the first six overs ending in 29 for 2. While the Pune Warriors had hoped and expected that this pace would continue, they were ultimately mistaken and lost the match on their home ground.

The Chennai Super Kings are once again, a team to take note of at this year’s Indian Premier League Twenty20 games. This game simply helped to solidify the team’s standing in the IPL 6.

The reason for this move is that those teams that have players from Sri Lanka would not have been able to allow those players to play if the games took place in Chennai. The reason for this is a political one. Moving the Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator to Delhi will allow all players an equal opportunity to play in the Indian Premier League 6.

The decision to host these games in Delhi came after a vote was held. One of the potential venues had been Bangalore, however, the Ferozeshah Kotla Ground ended up being the chosen location. The decision needed to be taken after the government in Tamil Nadu refused to allow the Sri Lankans to play after there were anti-Sinhalese sentiments.

In support of choosing Delhi, the press release from the Indian Premier League noted: “The Ferozeshah Kotla Ground is the home venue of the Delhi Daredevils, who topped the league stage in the 2012 edition.”

The match that will take place on 21 May 2013 will be between the team that has obtained the first rank by the end of the league stage, and the team that has achieved the second rank in the Qualifier 1. The winner of this game will go through to the finals of the IPL 2013.

The teams that have placed third and fourth in the league will play against each other on 22 May in the Eliminator. On 24 May, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the loser of Qualifier 1 and the winner of the Eliminator will play in Qualifier 2. The final match will take place on 26 May 2013.

The Mumbai Indians batted first, leaving the Royal Challengers Bangalore to try and beat their 194 run total. The Royal Challengers Bangalore simply could not reach 194 runs and ended on 136 runs for 7. The Mumbai Indians ended on 194 for 7, and in doing so, made team history. Over the years, when the Mumbai Indians have met the Royal Challengers Bangalore, 194 runs has been the highest total that the Mumbai Indians have achieved. The Mumbai Indians had their previous high against the Royal Challengers Bangalore when they hit 191. The team’s previous record against the Royal Challengers Bangalore was hit in 2010, at the match that took place in Bengaluru.

Since Chris Gayle is a force to be reckoned with at the bat, there was much excitement when there was an incredible catch by Ambati Tayudu, sending Chris Gayle off the pitch. Gayle was the biggest single threat to the team beating the Mumbai Indians with the 194 total that they had worked hard to reach. Gayle had recently made 175 on his own in a Twenty20 game.

Mumbai won the match with all the batsmen chipping in to help the team reach the 194 runs that they achieved. Perhaps the team was keeping Chris Gayle in mind when batting, and were doing the best that they could while they had the chance.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have won each of the six home games that they have played in the IPL 2013, and the team has lost all three away games that they have played so far this year.

In the first bust, the police team in Civil Lines arrested 10 individuals that were allegedly gambling, along with someone who is employed as the assistant to a high court lawyer. There were 10 mobile phones seized during this raid, and a large amount of cash totaling Rs 86,600. There were also various documents and other items seized in the raid.

Amarnath Yadav, the police inspector in Civil Lines, had said that the police team that conducted the raid had done so after it was tipped off that there was illegal gambling taking place. The raid took place near South Road, and the 10 people that were arrested were Jai Narayan, Badshah Khan, Kamal, Nasir, Rajesh, Babbul, Sunil, Rajesh, GS Sharma, and Arvind.

While all those arrested were done so for allegedly gambling illegally, the chief inspector, Amarnath Yadav, also noted that of the 10 people arrested in this raid, three of them were running the gambling in a more organized way.

The second raid took place in Handia, where the Handia police made five arrests in the area near Hanumanganj. In this raid, amongst various articles that were seized, there was also a total of around Rs 25,000 that was seized.

The third raid was carried out by the Kydganj police, who seized Rs 5,200 in a gambling raid, and arrested three individuals who were allegedly gambling.

The police in many areas in India have been cracking down on illegal gambling, and have been conducting many raids recently.

Gayle managed to get a very fast century, which he made off 30 balls. He also managed to reach the highest individual score that has been reached in a single T20 game. The previous record, which also happened to take place in the same cricket stadium, was held by Brendon McCullum, from the Kolkata Knight Riders, who hit 158 off 73 balls.

Gayle has an incredible ability for power hits and did not disappoint. With 17 sixes, and 13 fours, it is no surprise that the Jamaican managed to reach a total of 175. His batting power was demonstrated when he hit a six off Ashoke Dinda. The ball flew over the stadium and while it was going, it damaged part of the roof. Gayle’s style is simply to hit as many fours and sixes as he can, and once he does so, there is little that the opposing team can do about it, with the ball flying into the stands.

With Gayle’s incredible contribution to the total number of runs, the Royal Challengers Bangalore managed to reach the largest total that has ever been reached in a T20 cricket game. The Royal Challengers Bangalore ended on a whopping 263 for five.

The Pune Warriors were up to bat second, and they had to chase a T20 world record target. Pune would have needed 264 runs to win but could not get more than 133 runs for nine.

To say that the Pune Warriors’ bowlers were intimidated would be the understatement of Chris Gayle’s century!