The operation led by Pankaj Deshmukh included the seizure of a number of items used to run an illegal betting racket

Three prominent bookies were among 31 men arrested on Friday night following police raids in a number of spots related to illegal horse racing betting rackets in the city of Pune.

During the raids, police managed to seize a number of items including laptops, mobile phones and other items used to run an illegal betting racket, all amounting to around Rs3.41 lakh.

Accepting any bets on horse races outside racecourse premises in illegal in India and therefore all the 31 men were remanded in custody till Sunday. The operation was led by deputy commissioner of police Pankaj Deshmukh who also stated that accepting bets outside of racecourses is illegal according to the Bombay Racecourse Licensing Act. Deshmukh said in response to the raids that:

We found people betting on these horse races shown online. It is illegal and causes violation of norms and loss of revenue to the government. So legal action has been taken against 31 persons, among whom about 12 are either bookies or their associates who were taking bets over the phone and through online platforms.

This comes after two states, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, banned online gaming due to a rise in suicides after a number of players were constantly cheated since the market is heavily unregulated in India. With illegal gambling activities in India increasing, it will be interesting to see whether more states will follow suit.

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