BCCI's IPL promoting gambling: Sports Minister

Sports Minister MS Gill today lashed out at the BCCI saying that the board is Indian Premier League to mint more money rather than promote the game of cricket in the country. Concerned about the "commercial use of cricket for business gains", Gill criticised the BCCI for introducing an SMS game which requires fans to make ball by ball predictions for cash prizes in the ongoing Indian Premier League. "I see the commercial use of cricket for business gains that is going on. I am concerned, at knowledgeable comments, from serious followers of cricket about the latest venture of encouraging viewers to make ball by ball predictions of runs scored for economic gain in the shape of cash prizes," Gill said in a statement.
The second edition of the IPL involves more money than its inaugural season. And with the event being played away from India, in South Africa, there is a further more possibility of betting and gambling being involved in the tournament. The sports minister said that IPL has become more of a business for the BCCI than a venture to enhance the status and reputation game in the country, which shouldn’t be the case. IPL is not benificial for india neither from development perspective nor as a sport, it is just a game to earn money for BCCI and Lalit Modi.