Online betting is coming to the Indian state of Karnataka after the local government authorized the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) to throw open its digital doors.
On Friday, the Karnataka state government gave in-principle approval for the BTC to conduct online betting. The BTC filed an online betting application in May in a bid to salvage its season, which has seen racing halted due to India’s struggles to flatten its COVID-19 curve.
Local media quoted BTC exec Harimohan Naidu saying the company was developing a mobile betting app, digital wallet and streaming service that will hopefully be deployed in around two months. By that point, the expectation is that racing will have resumed on a spectator-free basis, but punters will be able to watch the action online while accessing the digital betting product.
Some of India’s state governments have been overwhelmed by their COVID-19 struggles and Naidu suggested online betting would help top up the state’s coffers. Online betting “will naturally expand our customer base tremendously, increase our turnover and also revenue to the government.”