An Indian software developer was taken into custody for selling illegal gambling software, which developed himself, to more than twelve bookies. The man, named Ekanksh Rajendrakumar Jain, had previously been arrested in Mumbai for allegedly taking illegal sports bets.
On Saturday, the police entered his home in Pune and seized computer hardware, mobile phones, SIM cards, the total amount of INR1.2 million (US$20,000), as well as other possessions that were in any way related to illegal betting.
Although sports betting is currently illegal in India, it is among the most popular gambling activities in the country.
Legal proceedings have been instituted against Jain for providing and maintaining gambling software to bookies in India. The Indian press reported that he charged each individual bookie the amount of INR2.5 million (US$41,000) for maintenance, and as his portion of their overall profits that were generated.
The mobile phones and SIM cards, seized by the police, contained phone numbers that were the same as those found during the Mumbai raid. Sushama Chavan, a senior inspector at the Pune police department, explained that the numbers were acquired by “furnishing bogus documents in the names of dead people”. Mr. Chavan also stated that the investigation is set to continue until all the necessary details are revealed.
As mentioned above, gambling in India is a quite problematic topic at present. The country’s Supreme Court stated that it will announce its decision on whether the outcomes of poker, rummy, and other similar games are determined by skill or luck on November 12, 2014.
Lower courts have been discussing the issue for quite some time, and it is now up to the Supreme Court to pronounce the final verdict. Petitions were filed a month ago, but the Court stated that it would need enough time to consider its decision.
If magistrates decide to support the Kamataka High Court’s opinion, that poker and its likes are mainly determined by the skills of the players and not by their luck, the Indian government will need to pass a uniform bill that will be applied in all the country’s states.
Recently, analysts at Flurry conducted a study, which showed that the Cards & Casino gaming category scored highest in India. That is, monthly, Indian players played about 68 Cards & Casino sessions, which is twice as much as what was reported in all other countries that were studied.
