Law Commission Chairman visits ICE, may consider recommending new gambling legislation to the government

Justice (retired) Balbir Singh Chauhan, the Chairman of the Law Commission of India visited the ICE Gaming Conference in London last month to understand gaming regulations and legislations in other jurisdictions, particularly in the United Kingdom. During his trip, Justice Chauhan met regulators and legislators from different parts of the globe to understand the regulations and best practices drafted by them.

Justice Chauhan also addressed a gathering of International gaming operators, lawyers, journalists and other stakeholders at the India Briefing on 8th February. A report in the Hindustan Times states that a draft gambling act is “under serious consideration” of the Law Commission of India.

“It (betting and gambling) is already happening through the internet and it is hard to stop in the absence of an updated law,” said a member of the Law  Commission as per the report.

The Law Commission of India has been tasked by the Supreme Court to look into the issue of sports betting legalisation based on a Lodha committee report. The Commission has been examining the issue of gambling and betting legalisation for the past few months and has held several rounds of consultation with FICCI and other industry bodies.

The final reaction of the Law Commission is still awaited as it has not consulted all stakeholders. It is understood that the process of preparing a report on the subject will at least take a few more months.