BD cricket ‘court’ expels gamblers from stadium

DHAKA: A special temporary courthouse at Dhaka’s main cricket stadium expelled 20 punters for placing illegal bets during the first three days of the Bangladesh Premier League, an official said Wednesday.

Betting is illegal in Bangladesh but rampant during cricket matches, where gamblers exploit a brief delay between live play and the official broadcast of results to place frantic bets. Those caught are hauled from the stands and tried on the spot by judges stationed at stadiums.

The temporary court at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium fined 20 gamblers and barred them from the grounds in the first three days of the BPL, which started Sunday.Six Indians were among those slapped with fines up to 4,000 taka ($48) for infringements, said executive magistrate Imrul Hasan, the judge who presided at the special court.“They were caught on the grounds placing live bets with their mobile phones. They will not be allowed to watch any more BPL games this season,” he said.