New Delhi: Former International Cricket Council(ICC) Chief Ehsan Mani accused India of being a haven for illegal betters and said that it was main cause for corruption in the game.
Ehsan Mani estimated that Sunday's Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan in Dhaka attracted bets worth $500 million-worth of bets but never disclosed as to how he came to know about it.
"Unless the betting industry is brought under control in India, you can't stop match-fixing. There's no doubt that India, certainly Delhi and is the epicenter of cricket betting," Mail Today quoted Mani.
"I'm a strong advocate of legalizing betting in India, and bringing it under control of regulatory authorities so that. the conduct of bookies can be monitored properly," he added.
Mani also urged ICC and the BCCI to try and convince to legalise betting.
"It's a matter of how you control it because there's no way, I believe, that it can be stamped out in India. So, if (it) can't be stamped out, how do they control it in a way that it can stop corrupting the game," he further added.
Mani also emphasized that domestic Twenty20 tournaments such as the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash in Australia also allows the bookies to get.
"Obviously, high profile matches like the IPL and Big Bash leave a lot of scope for players to be corrupted; whether they are being corrupted or not, I can't say. I think IPL must have added hugely to the cricket betting industry in India," he said.
By Indian Sports News Network
