Sports Betting: Surveying the Legality Issues and Current Developments

Abstract

The unpredictability of the results of sporting events creates a recurring natural thought in the human mind, as to “who will win or who will lose”. Such a question is seemingly not easy to answer before the result is actually out. However, the betters around the world would like to make winning or losing predictions, and in that process they either earn or lose money involved in the betting exercise. Betting here may be defined as- activity of predicting result and placing a wager on the outcome. The same is considered a form of gambling. The sports betting are happening around the world involving various sporting events which include offline as well as online. The legality question comes into play when the sports betting (betters) start influencing the players of a given sport in order to make the result predictable, and thus to win the wager amount. The situation thus raises several questions on sports ethics. Here, the larger question of legality of sports betting assumes critical significance. How far the betting exercise is justified under the law? Can it be eliminated? Should it be legalized? Can the same is subject to legal regulation? Such pressing questions are all dogging the lawmakers and judiciaries around the world.

In the light of the above, the present paper will discuss and analyse the sports betting by surveying the legal developments in few prominent jurisdictions like US, UK, Australia and India, etc. Based on its analysis, the paper will make an attempt to find out the rationalizing factors behind legalization of sports betting.

Keywords: Sport, Betting, Legal Issue, US, UK, Australia, India