Chennai: The Karnataka Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill to ban all forms of gambling in the state, including online gambling. The government passed the bill by amending the Karnataka Police Act, 1963 to strengthen the provision and make gambling a cognizable and non-bailable offence.
According to a report in the Indian Express, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Gyanendra introduced the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Bill 2021 despite opposition’s skepticism that the police are capable of tackling all online forms of gambling.
However, the Home Minister said that the police are finding it difficult to deal with gambling and betting as the recent Karnataka High Court order in Dharwad prohibited the police from searching premises of casinos.
The minister also told the assembly that gambling on electronic devices is going on and all forms of gambling should be controlled.
The Bill amends to prescribe three years imprisonment and a fine of one lakh rupees for gambling. Earlier the prison sentence was for one year. The law also allows betting only for horse racing.
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Earlier, the Karnataka Assembly introduced a bill to protect illegal religious structures built in public places. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai introduced the Karnataka Religious Structures (Protection) Bill 2021 to protect religious structures built in public places in the assembly.
The government’s move followed Karnataka’s order to demolish illegal religious structures on public land.
However, the bill has also fixed the day of passage as the cut-off date, and only structures built before that day will be protected by a high court order.
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