With the exception of cricket, sporting events in India are an exercise in despair—a fact that experts chalked up to scarce resources that continues to elude sports to this day.

This is the card that the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) is dealing Prime Minister Narendea Modi as it appeals for the legalization of sports betting in the country.

India is governed by a central law that prohibits gambling on games of chance called The Public Gaming Act 1867. Some states, however, started allowing gambling after the Supreme Court acknowledged that activities such as rummy and horse racing are skill-based pastimes.

So far, the state of Andhra Pradesh has allowed horse racing, rummy and a state lottery. Goa has ten casinos, seven of which are based on boats thus circumventing land based casino laws, and Karnataka allows horse racing and rummy. Maharashtra allows horse racing and a state-run lottery. Sikkim is in the process of applying for the right to offer online gambling, and government officials in West Bengal believe poker is a game of skill.