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BBC Resources sale could be unprofitable

Thursday, November 8, 2007

The sale of the BBC subsidiary BBC Resources Ltd., has hit a hurdle after it emerged that the BBC could be left with a loss of up to £15 million on the deal. The cost of transferring the pensions of BBC Resources staff from the BBC pension scheme to its new owners could be up to £50 million according to a Guardian Newspaper report.

Managers from the division will meet with union representatives from BECTU on Monday to discuss this and related sale issues. BECTU general secretary, Gerry Morrissey is quoted as saying: “If the BBC gets less than £50 million for BBC Resources then how can it fulfil [sic] its duty of care to licence fee payers?”

It is believed that the BBC had hoped that a surplus in its pension fund could be used to bridge the possible £50 million gap — but the trustees of the fund have said “no”. A BBC source said: “This is being discussed at the highest level”.

Since April 2004 members of the BBC pension scheme have seen their contributions into it increase regularly, the BBC — like many other employers — having reduced its contribution (to 4.5% of payroll) over a ten year period when the stock market was booming in the 1990s.

The Guardian is seen as a reliable source on BBC matters, having reported the proposed sale of BBC Television Centre back in January 2007, with the formal announcement finally being made by BBC Director General Mark Thompson on October 18, 2007.

The Resources business-to-business unit was formed in 1998 and operates television studios, post-production and outside broadcast facilities for it’s parent share-holding company, the BBC. It does not own any studios or premises, its assets being staff and equipment.

Advertised for sale on 16th August in the Financial Times, The Times and Broadcast and last year making profits of £5.2 million with a revenue of £126 million, the disposal — led by Ernst & Young — invited expressions of interest for the whole division or for each of its three operations separately. The BBC has yet to release the names of the short-listed companies.

BBC Resources was the first of the BBC’s commercial business-to-business divisions to be set up as a limited company and will be the last to be sold, the BBC having previously divested itself of BBC Technology and BBC Broadcast — BBC Worldwide, formerly BBC Enterprises, will remain in-house as it earns revenue from the archive, media and licensing of products — in the year to 31 March 2007 Worldwide had a turnover of £810.4 million, generating profits of £111 million.

The BBC wants to use any money raised to be put into international commercial expansion and content, most probably through Worldwide.

It had been intended to float Resources back in 2005, but this was postponed for two years following strike action and ACAS talks in June 2005 — the BBC giving an undertaking that there would be no preparations made to sell the company until January 2007, and no sale allowed before July of this year. The current time-scale would see its disposal by the end of the current financial year in March 2008.

This story has updates See BBC Outside Broadcasts to be sold to Satellite Information Services?

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Hemorrhoids Relief How You Can Cure Hemorrhoids Naturally &Amp; Gently

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By Bello Gbenga

Hemorrhoid is one of commonest ailments affecting the anal region, they affect about 50% of adult population. Fortunately hemorrhoids/hemroids, or piles as they are sometimes called, may often be cured with simple procedures or they may even resolve by themselves sometimes when the hemorrhoid is a very mild type. (Download a Free Book on Hemorrhoids by clicking the links in the last paragraph below)

These are some of the symptoms you might experience if you are suspecting that you have a hemorrhoid problem:

1. Slight bleeding as evidenced by observing bright red blood on the toilet tissue or the blood might be on the stools and sometimes it stains the toilet bowl.

2. Slight itching in the rectal area. This may progress to severe itching or burning sensation (Click the links in the last paragraph below to learn the best method of curing the itching and burning sensation permanently)

3. A false urge to move bowels even when the bowels are empty, this is known in medical terms as tenesmus.

4. A soft lump around the anal opening in the external variety.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wjhGQyrd6g[/youtube]

5. Severe pain in the anal area. (To know how to rid yourself of hemorrhoid pain permanently click the links in the last paragraph below)

Bleeding through the anus might also be due to some other more dangerous diseases of the large intestine so it is always advisable to see a doctor for proper diagnosis and not miss the early diagnosis and treatment of a more serious condition.

To properly diagnose hemorrhoids the doctor will do a rectal examination by inserting a gloved lubricated finger into the rectum to feel for the presence of hemorrhoids. The doctor may also make use of a proctoscope inserted into the last few inches of the rectum to enable him to view the size, location and number of hemroids present.

External hemorrhoids can be observed easily by the doctor and can be felt as a pronounced bump in the area around the anus. It is the external hemorrhoids that are usually associated with severe and excruciating pain.

To cure hemorrhoids the use of natural methods like making some slight life-style changes has been found to be very effective. These effective measures include:

1. Eat between 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day.

2. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day

3. Avoid sitting for hours at a desk and do more physical activity

4. Eat natural foods which promote soft stools making elimination easy. (Click on the links in the paragraph below to know five vegetables and fruits that will eliminate constipation permanently)

5. Shed excessive weight and strive to maintain average weight.

Pain may be relieved briefly by sitz baths, ice packs and the application of soothing herbal creams. Some herbal remedies have astringent properties which can have the effect of decreasing inflammation and narrowing blood vessels. These herbs are usually blended with others which are soothing and help the skin heal from wounds and because they stimulate the immune system help cure and prevent infections.

There are also some herbal mixtures that have been packaged with other instructions about other very important natural means of curing hemorrhoids in a more complete and wholesome package. This natural cure package is best way to cure hemorrhoids as it addresses all the different aspects of the origin of the disease and it does not have side effects. The herbs recommended in this package can easily be accessed with pennies at your local grocery store, and the recommended lifestyle changes are explained in simple terms that can be understood by everybody. This holistic natural cure method has the special advantage of aiming for a total cure of not just the symptoms but the very ailment that is causing the ailment.

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Celebrities contribute to Katrina relief

Published:Wednesday, September 7, 2005Updated:Saturday, September 10, 2005 (Travolta, Preston, Moore, Stones, Three Doors Down, Johnson, Smith)

After Hurricane Katrina passed across the United States, various artists and media stars have leapt at a call to action.

John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston flew his private plane to deliver a load of supplies and tetanus vaccine to Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Part of a Scientology project which has been using their non-massage “assists”, in an interview Preston mentioned that “auditing” had also been performed on victims.

Kevin Smith is holding an online auction on his Web site.

Sean Penn actually went to Louisiana. After loading down a small boat with his entourage, it was discovered one of them had neglected to seal a hole in the bottom. Penn was wearing a white vest rather than a life vest while bailing. After the motor wouldn’t start, the crew paddled down a flooded New Orleans street. Bystanders jeered at whether any victims could fit aboard the crowded craft. No report on rescue stunts. Local authorities had previously been criticized for not allowing volunteer boaters in to help.

Morgan Freeman, whose home fared well, is organizing an online auction of celebrity items at charityfolks.com, to benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Curt Schilling opened his home to a family of nine driven out of their New Orleans home. The Schilling family will provide housing for the Fields for a year while their home in New Orleans is rebuilt and repaired.

Some celebrities “graced” disaster zones with their presence in the days following Katrina.

Singer Macy Gray and television personality Phil McGraw visited Houston’s Astrodome.

Celebrities visiting New Orleans include Michael Moore (opposite side of lake), singer Harry Connick, Jr., CNN’s Anderson Cooper, actor Jamie Foxx, singer Faith Hill, actor Matthew McConaughey, singer Lisa Marie Presley, comedian Chris Rock, and The Oprah Winfrey Show contributor Lisa Ling and interior decorator Nate Berkus.

Oprah Winfrey visited New Orleans, Houston, and Mississippi.

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Illinois high schools now required to buy insurance for athletes

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

This past Sunday, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed into law a bill known as “Rocky’s Law” that requires Illinois high schools, through the local school district, to buy catastrophic injury insurance up to US$3 million or medical costs for up to five years, whichever one comes first, that covers student athletes. The insurance must cover student athletes while they are competing.

The legislation was named after Rasul “Rocky” Clark. In 2000, the Eisenhower High School football player became paralyzed from the waist down as a result of a tackle during a game. His school based health insurance covered the costs of his medical treatment. A legislator sponsoring the bill noted that the need for this type of insurance is rare. Clark’s mother attended the legislation signing. Her son died last year.

Before parents can claim money from school insurance, they first must pay out US$50,000. Schools have until January 1, 2014 to comply with the law. Schools cannot charge students more than US$5 to defray the cost of insurance. If a school district already requires student to be covered through private health insurance, they are exempted from this law.

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Gap Inc. Organizational Research

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By Jeff Stats

Gap Inc. is a leading international clothing retailer offering attire, accessories and personal care products for men, women, children and babies. They produce under brands such as Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy. Also Gap brand includes Gap, GapKids, babyGap, GapBody and Gap Outlet. They have their headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area, the product development offices are located in New York City, while distribution operations and offices dealing with sourcing activities can be found around the globe.

Gap Inc. has created a “Code of business conduct” in which essential issues of conducting a business, employees’ behaviors and corporate culture are outlined. It contains the letter to employees which states the main principles that operate in Gap Inc. The company was originally founded and to this day is maintaining the principle of conducting business in a responsible, honest and ethical manner. Currently Gap Inc. remains committed to setting and meeting the highest standards of business conduct, because for them nothing less will do. They also make such commitments to their shareholders, neighbors, customers and one another not only because it is a legal duty, but because it’s the proper thing to do. The company claims that their reputation depends on the integrity and excellence in everything they do. Clearly such statements shape company’s overall vision of how they operate and what they expect from their employees. This code was designed to promote an ethical work environment, with all the necessary issues descried in it such as reporting the violations, responsibilities, laws that apply to different countries in which the company operates.

Gap Inc. was founded in 1969 by Donald and Doris Fisher in San Francisco, California. When they started there was only one store and a couple of employees. Today, they are one of the world’s largest specialty retailers, with fiscal 2004 revenues of $16.3 billion. They are producing and selling clothes to men, women, kids and babies all over the world. Such brands as Gap and Banana Republic are aimed at customers with higher incomes who are willing to buy high quality clothes, although it is not priced too high. Old Navy brand was created to fit the niche of customers such as families willing to have good looking and quality attire, but pay less for it. Many people shopping at Gap are customers in Old Navy as well, because the company’s signature in making clothes can be easily traced. In recent years the company has began production of colognes and other toiletries which are suitable for different seasonal collections and can be matched with certain clothes. Thus Gap stores, offer a full range of products from underwear and perfumes to sports apparel and winter clothes.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGWsiymG6G8[/youtube]

As already was mentioned the Gap Inc. customers are successful people who are looking for high quality and reasonable prices. With Old Navy brand it is more of a younger audience with less income to spend, Gap itself aims at middle class buyers wanting a stylish look and excellent customer service treatment. Banana Republic brand is the most expensive and the most chic one out of all presented by Gap Inc. People shopping at Banana Republic are looking for latest styles, comfort and still reasonable prices for the quality they receive. Generally company’s customers are young and middle aged people eager to try something new every season, enthusiastic about color and inspirational design.

Gap’s competitors for apparel, accessories, and personal care products are such famous American brands as Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters, DKNY, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger. Those companies are manufacturing similar products, although they are targeting a slightly different customer market. Gap however has to take a lot of effort to stay aloof among them with pricing policies, quality and design in order to retain their customers and try to gain new ones. The external threat from the new entries is a minor one because of number of reasons. The clothing/accessories market is quite difficult to enter, and it takes time to establish a brand name and gain customer loyalty and trust, so in this instance Gap is almost safe at least for some time.

Gap Inc. has stores around the globe and naturally employs people from many foreign countries. While manufacturing and distributing its products, Gap Inc.’s Sourcing and Logistics group, along with their buying agents, draw up production schedules and place orders with approved third-party factories. This process takes place in more than 50 countries where Gap products are made. Clearly Gap involves many intermediaries in making its product, designating much power and responsibilities to the factories and suppliers. It purchases from more than 1,000 vendors in 3,600 factories in more than 50 countries and approximately 13 percent of its products is sourced from China alone. The company also has a comprehensive and publicly available Code of Vendor Conduct and has instituted excellent internal monitoring programs with vendor compliance officers. Gap company was the first U.S. apparel manufacturer that developed an independent monitoring program by agreeing to let representatives of local nongovernmental groups monitor its supplier factories in El Salvador. Gap also supports human rights initiatives through its supplier education programs and a number of other projects and is a participant in the UN Global Compact. Social responsibility for Gap Inc. is a big concern and it engages in many practices to help solve environmental problems. It has number of helpful environmental projects, including a unique, environmentally efficient designed building at its headquarters. Their programs incorporate recycling initiatives for stores, use of wood from certified-sustainable forests for the flooring at its stores, as well as energy efficiency in lighting. Company’s considerations with environmental issues are also addressed in store design and construction; Gap Inc. also does not conduct or endorse animal testing on its products.

Company’s internal policies are accordingly well designed and suited to meet their employees’ expectations. It offers paid volunteer time for headquarters employees, and ensures full medical and dental benefits for domestic partners, as well as a various family-oriented benefits. Throughout the company women hold a considerable number of management positions, including the two women who are among the company’s top eight executives; there are also four women on the 15-member board of directors. Among programs supported by Gap are those focusing on helping unappreciated youth, with an emphasis on academic achievement. Health and human services, including HIV/AIDS prevention and education, community services and the arts are areas of company’s interest and sponsorship.

Bob Fisher became new Chairman of Gap Inc. in 2004 and Paul Pressler was named CEO in 2002 after Millard Drexler retired. The overall leadership style of the company may be characterized as participative leadership where all people are taking active part in building company’s future. Responsibilities are strictly outlined although can be delegated to other people in case of their approval to do so; ethical and lawful approach to conducting business and treating employees are major necessities outlines in the company policy.

About the Author: Jeff Stats is a writer at essay writing service Mindrelief.net. Order quality custom essays from our essay service.

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Ten-year-old computer glitch prevents delivery of 1,380 Canadian health results

Sunday, May 24, 2009

The Saskatoon Health Region in Saskatchewan, Canada recently discovered a fax machine problem which had not relayed almost 1,500 X-rays, Computed tomography (CT) and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, ultrasounds, and other medical imaging test results to doctors.

The fax machine is part of the automated Radiology Information System. An audit revealed that medical diagnostic tests involving results dating back a decade have been affected by the broken fax machine.

On May 6, a doctor called the health region officials seeking follow up on a patient’s report. Staff who delved into it, found that the report was not sent from the system.

Now, two weeks later, this same patient has still not been contacted by the health region.

“It has taken some time to work with the patient’s physician. That was important — to get more information and more detail because we want that patient’s physician to be involved in the discussion with the patient,” Dr. David Poulin, vice-president of medical affairs for The Saskatoon Health Region, said. “This is a system error and that’s just what it was — an error. This doesn’t reflect in any way on the quality of work regional staff have done and continue to do.”

An internal review revealed that, of 2.2 million diagnostic tests performed, at least 1,380 had not been sent out by the malfunctioning fax machine.

The health region will embark on contacting each of the 1,380 patients and their physicians to make sure that the results have been received and if any health care was compromised.

Patients can also contact the health region via a newly set up hotline to make enquiries.

“We think it would actually be good practice if physician offices could have a system to check whether they have received important reports,” said Poulin, “The common practice appears to be in many doctors’ offices, particularly family physician offices, that they don’t respond to the report until it arrives. So, they basically are waiting for the report to arrive in their office by fax and it’s at that point that they look at it and decide what action to take.”

City Hospital, St. Paul’s Hospital and Royal University Hospital were the three city hospitals affected. Saskatoon has a population of roughly 233,923, and the hospitals also serve the surrounding rural areas.

Ironically the faulty fax machine was discovered the same week that provincial medical officials began to review approximately 70,000 radiology tests conducted in Yorkton. Officials there doubt the competence of the physician who first interpreted the radiology results.

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North Korea offers amnesty to criminals, marking important holidays

Friday, January 21, 2022

As reported by the state-operated media outlet Voice of Korea on January 20, the North Korean government has issued a decree granting amnesty to those found guilty of “crimes against the country and the people”. The decree was instituted to mark former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il’s upcoming birth anniversaries.

According to Voice of Korea, the decree was issued by the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly as decree No. 820. The decree will be effective as of January 30. The Supreme People’s Assembly is “the highest organ of State power” in the country, as stated in the North Korean constitution.

The birth anniversary of founding leader Kim Il-sung, titled the “Day of the Sun”, is held yearly on April 15, and the birth anniversary of second leader Kim Jong-il is held on February 16 under the name of “Day of the Shining Star”. Both dates serve as important holidays in the North, with grandiose celebrations having taken place in previous years.

According to an article published by The Korea Herald, this pardoning is a way “to promote social unity amid economic hardships” and “to boost loyalty for the leader [Kim Jong-un]”, linking COVID-19 border closures to the North’s dire economic situation.

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Let’s Get Busy Saving The Public Schools

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By Bruce Deitrick Price

Many pundits note that our public schools are sunk in mediocrity. Bill Gates concluded the schools are so bad they threaten the country’s economic future.

Less often noted is the obtuseness of so much that goes on in the schools. Professors of education seem to prefer flimsy theories and counter-productive methods. Then, to excuse the pervasive failure, the elite educators blame parents, kids, teachers, TV, popular culture, computers, and everything but their theories.

Rooting out all these bad ideas is the simplest, most inexpensive way to improve the schools:

The kingfish of dumb since 1935 is Whole Word, which demands that children memorize thousands of words as shapes. Can’t be done. Rudolf Flesch explained the craziness in 1955; but our Education Establishment went right on. Still today, little kids are forced to memorize sight-words and to guess, instead of simply learning to read.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARB1q4FhJMk[/youtube]

(Reading is that one essential skill that all students must acquire early in their education, or everything else will suffer. But guess what? Our Education Establishment came up with a reading pedagogy that guaranteed tens of millions of children would never become fluent readers. We should all be endlessly fascinated by bad reading theory. It tells us so much about the people who concocted it.)

The next bogus pedagogy was called New Math and, later, Reform Math. The common denominator in the different curricula (different in that they have different names on the textbooks) is that children must wade through a hodgepodge of simple arithmetic and advanced high school or college topics. Reform Math introduced the idea of ‘spiraling’ from topic to topic, even as mastery is more or less forbidden. Reform Math does not teach much math, so calculators are mandatory.

Another bad mutation is called Constructivism, a fad that now appears in all courses for all ages. In essence, teachers are not allowed to teach; they must be facilitators. Simply put, students are not allowed to be taught, precisely the activity that schools have engaged in for thousands of years. Instead, little kids who hardly know how to tie their shoes are supposed to discover the knowledge that an educated person should know. Puzzle over how children will ever learn that the United States has 50 states, Paris is the capital of France, or Mississippi is the name of a long river — unless a teacher tells them. In fact, children need as much basic information taught to them as quickly as can be managed; this natural development is blocked by Constructivism.

Still another clunker is Self-Esteem. And doesn’t this sound benign and helpful? In practice, kids are fussed over, making them complacent and lazy. Worse, Self-Esteem is used to justify curtailing the curriculum to the point where every student can earn an A. This dumbing-down is done in the name of enhancing Self-Esteem. But it’s a ruse. Genuine Self-Esteem comes by taking on difficult tasks and doing them successfully.

And so it goes throughout the school day. Cooperative Learning dictates that children work in groups; as a result, they don’t learn to think for themselves. Multiculturalism demands that children study far-off cultures, so there’s little time to learn about their own.

If any of these methods ever seems elusive and difficult to describe, give credit where it is due. Our top educators seem to spend careers devising ever more verbose scaffolding for less and less substantial concepts.

Toss out the clunkers, return to education as the transmission of knowledge, and we will have instant improvement.

About the Author: Bruce Deitrick Price is the founder of

Improve-Education.org

, an education and intellectual site. One focus is reading; see “42: Reading Resources.” Also see “56: Top 10 Worst Ideas in Education.” Price is an author, artist and poet. His fifth book is “THE EDUCATION ENIGMA–What Happened to American Education.”

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Wave kills two on Mediterranean cruise

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Two passengers on a Mediterranean cruise ship were killed by a rogue wave on Wednesday. The incident occurred off the north-east coast of Spain. The ship, named the Louis Majesty, had left from Barcelona, Spain and was headed for Genoa, Italy.

The giant wave broke the windows on deck five of the ship, resulting in two fatalities as well as another fourteen injuries. The two victims were German and Italian citizens. Following the incident, the ship returned to Barcelona. The ship, carrying over 1300 passengers, is expected to continue its journey after the injured are moved from the ship for treatment.

According to French officials, there had been no previous trouble with the ship. The waves were believed to have been 26 feet (8 meters) high. The ship is 660 feet (200 meters) long, and had 732 cabins onboard.

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To Regulate Or To Ban Online Gambling Games

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Gambling has always been a part of our gaming since times immemorial, needless to remind the Indian epic, the Mahabharatha. Since then it took so many forms and shapes to be an integral part of gaming. Recently, and especially post lockdown, there has been a huge shift in the Indian gaming industry. The improvement in infrastructure facilities, the increase in internet consumption by people and the exposure for a wide range of games opened the door for online gambling and betting. This has seen the evolution of several new games like online rummy, poker, cricket fantasy games, etc and given a chance to entrepreneurs across the world to expand their territory in the Indian market with the help of game outsourcing companies like RubixQ. But are all of them legal?

In July 2020, a 20-year-old parlour employee who makes tattoos had to hang himself for not being able to pay the 20,000 that he lost on a gaming app. This isn’t the first time such incidents happened. The addiction to gambling, be it offline or online, has the capability of ruining a person’s life and eventually after the debts mount upon them, it can lead to any drastic decisions like suicides. It is the reason why high courts across the states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, decided to ban online gambling games proactively before the number of such incidents rises. In September 2020, Andhra Pradesh government declared online gambling to be illegal. Instead of banning them, it made such activities an offence and people can be prosecuted when caught playing. These moves are made in a manner to scare people from gambling than preventing them altogether.

The Indian gaming laws categorize games broadly into two types – the game of skill and the game of chances wherein the latter comes into the gambling. This is the reason why Google had to pull out Paytm from the play store a while back, for violating the gambling policies and being the games of chances, whereas apps like Dream 11 are considered as games of skill. The Central government has no jurisdiction for gambling, the legislation of betting and gamblings lies in the hands of state governments and most of them have an exemption for games of skill. Recently Maharashtra government went to the Supreme Court to redefine what a game of skill is and what a game of chance is, and where the fantasy games fall under. The supreme court took up this and asked for a detailed report on it. If it passes the rule in the favour of fantasy games, that industry blooms like never before. Otherwise, they have to shut down.

Also, there’s another discussion floating around for having caps on gambling like 100 or 200 a day and there’ll be a cap for winning too accordingly. When the winnings are huge like in lakhs, the cap can increase up to 5,000 – 10,000. But then, the argument here is for the category of taxation for these games. If the winnings are in lakhs, though the companies are paying GSTs, the tax paid by winners is considerably less. So, they are looking at increasing this to a higher rate of tax for these activities.

According to research, the gaming industry in India is almost worth $150billions and in the worst-case scenario, corporates involved in it would only want regulations, not bans. For example, horse racing bettings are regulated, casinos in Goa and Sikkim are regulated. There’s another angle to this whole debate – psychological impact. There was a case where a college student of age 23, got addicted to gambling and eventually caught stealing, lying, losing control to end gambling sessions, getting unreasonably angry, etc. According to health experts, gambling is a behavioural addiction and it has its side effects of eating into the regular areas of functions. It can result in anxiety, impulse control issues, anger management issues, etc. So, with mental health being at stake, the ban is justified.

In economics point of view, legalization of these games with nuanced regulations and reasonable taxations can be effective, as governments can then have control over those activities. Otherwise, gamblings can happen in any form or manner and hoard a lot of black money that go unnoticed. There are some international examples like the UK Gambling Act of 2005 where they have a licensing regime for the 4-5 game categories. However, considering the facts that the industry is still in a nascent stage and the huge number of players, it is a strenuous task for governments to regulate the game of chances.