Indian cricket anti-corruption head opposes legalised sports betting

Indian cricket’s new anti-corruption head is opposed to the legalisation of sports betting on the subcontinent, insisting it would lead to a surge in match-fixing.

Shabir Hussein Shekhadam Khandwawala was appointed as head of the Anti-Corruption Unit for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 1 April and quickly moved to confirm his stance on sports betting.

The former director general of police in the western state of Gujarat is faced with combatting a cricket betting black market worth as much as $150bn per year.

Khandwawala said legalised sports betting would likely “encourage match-fixing” and impact the integrity of the sport.

He said: “Whether the government legalises betting or not is a different matter but deep inside, I feel as a police officer that betting can lead to match-fixing. The government, so far, has rightly not legalised betting.

“Betting encourages match-fixing so there should not be any change on this. We can make the rules more strict. We will work on that. It is a matter of great prestige that cricket is largely free of corruption. Credit should go to the BCCI for that,” he added.

Khandwawala went on to state that corruption in Indian cricket tended to impact the nation’s lower leagues and he would therefore focus on these divisions.

He continued: “Our top players are so well paid that they are miles from the menace of match-fixing. We should feel proud about that.

“Rooting out corruption from smaller events and leagues is a big challenge and we need to put an end to it. We need to ensure there is nothing shady happening at all levels of cricket being played in the country,” he concluded.