The bet is on cases in Gadag

When the government is sweating it out to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, gamblers in Gadag are betting on daily coronavirus numbers.
Medicos at a COVID-19 hospital (File photo| Parveen Negi, EPS)
Medicos at a COVID-19 hospital (File photo| Parveen Negi, EPS)

GADAG: When the government is sweating it out to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, gamblers in Gadag are betting on daily coronavirus numbers. They place bets on the likely new Covid cases for the day.

It has been only a switch from one gambling avenue to another. Earlier, matka or open-close gambling was running uninterrupted in Gadag, Gajendragad, Ron and Naragund towns. Once the police started cracking down on the racket, the betting network has moved to Covid numbers.

Now, daily wage workers, small businessmen and even students have joined the rush. The middlemen and some regular bettors are active on social media platforms and they share numbers after the state bulletin is released. Over the next half-an-hour, the winners are announced, and they get the returns. 

A businessman, on condition of anonymity, said, “It is a big secret. A bettor doubles his money if he wins. If he places a Rs 500 bet saying Gadag will record less than 80 Covid cases on Saturday and if the cases are indeed below that number, the winner gets Rs 1,000. Middlemen too make good money.”
 

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The New Indian Express
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