Gambling mafia breeds in Pak as security officials are preoccupied with tackling extremism - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

While security officials in Pakistan are up to their necks tackling the menace of terror, the gambling industry is booming in the country, particularly in Lahore in the absence of any checks. According to reliable police sources, over 120 million rupees are exchanged daily at various gambling centres across the city. The money multiplies at an enormous rate during cricket matches involving the home team. Over 800 gambling centres are currently involved in the illegal trade, The Daily Times reports. The amount of bet depends upon the background of the better. People both from the elite strata of the society and those having limited sources of income are seen taking active part in the lucrative game. "The rich usually start with a 10 million rupees bet. But there are other operators who don't even have a total spread of one million rupee. They do business in small localities and are not connected to international gambling houses", said one of the operators, who owns a betting den in Lahore. When enquired about the issue, City Superintendent of Police (SP) Zeeshan Asghar said security officials would soon launch a crackdown on such betting dens. "Our entire focus has been on terrorism and search operations during the past few months, which is the reason these dens have been growing. The gambling nests will be shut down and their owners will be arrested without discrimination," Asghar said. However, the den operators are least worried by such claims, as they believe that the lure of doubling their money would force gamblers to return to these money-making centres. "Some do it as a pastime because they have enough money to waste, while some get into it to prove that they are rich. The betting from some corners even mounts to Rs 20 billion during the One Day International cricket matches. These bets are recovered through online banking services and are termed as 'White Transactions' in the gambling world", said another operator of the gambling mafia.