India Uncut
This blog has moved to its own domain. Please visit IndiaUncut.com for the all-new India
Uncut and bookmark it. The new site has much more content and some new sections, and you can read about them here and here. You can subscribe to full RSS feeds of all the sections from here.
This blogspot site will no longer be updated, except in case of emergencies, if the main site suffers a prolonged outage. Thanks - Amit.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Confusing betting with match-fixing
The Times of India reports:
The headline of the piece is: "Are Bollywood stars too involved in match-fixing?" Now, nowhere in the text is it alleged that the personalities concerned fixed matches; it is merely alleged that they bet on matches. The two things are entirely different, but when betting on cricket is spoken about, a lot of people forget that difference. "So you support match-fixing?" I am often asked when I say that betting should be legalised. That is like assuming that I support rape if I say that I enjoy having sex. It's an important difference.
And what is this rubbish about an actor "famous for losing his shirt on screen"? Why can't they just write Salman Khan?
The Metropolis [Mumbai] on Friday was abuzz with reports that bookie Shobhan Mehta has revealed the names of three persons, including two Bollywood actors (who are brothers) and an actor-turned-producer, who used to place bets with him regularly.
Sources said that the trio is known for gambling on cricket matches from a 5-star hotel in the western suburbs. The three had placed bets to the tune of lakhs of rupees in the past. The same sources said that one of the actors is famous for losing his shirt on screen in a number of films.
The headline of the piece is: "Are Bollywood stars too involved in match-fixing?" Now, nowhere in the text is it alleged that the personalities concerned fixed matches; it is merely alleged that they bet on matches. The two things are entirely different, but when betting on cricket is spoken about, a lot of people forget that difference. "So you support match-fixing?" I am often asked when I say that betting should be legalised. That is like assuming that I support rape if I say that I enjoy having sex. It's an important difference.
And what is this rubbish about an actor "famous for losing his shirt on screen"? Why can't they just write Salman Khan?
