Carrying out drives at various sports clubs in Dhaka and Chattogram, law enforcers have confiscated a large amount of illegal sports equipment, cash and banned narcotics. The clubs were used for running large scale gambling though the club authority says that they never got a share of the profits.
The casinos were launched with the promise of supporting sporting activities, but in reality, one group only increased their wealth.
Khurshid Alam Babul of Sonali Otit Club, told Bangla Tribune: “Our club has a heritage, it has former footballers as members; we do not have any gambling but for entertainment, players sometime play cards. We play football on the club premises every day.”
During 1/11, cleansing drives were carried out at all clubs except at Sonali Otit because 'our reputation is impeccable,' asserted Babul.
“We are firmly against gambling and the club runs on donations from the members,” he said.
However, Md Yakub of Arambagh Krira Sangha, says: “Gambling takes place at all clubs; we had card based gambling at our clubs but not anymore.”
'Gambling is held under political pressure, the clubs need money to run teams in the first and second division. Sometimes, donations fall and so gambling becomes a way to maintain the sporting teams,” he said.
The gambling ring used to make a lot of money and didn’t even give us one per cent and we could not drive them away because they had people in all clubs, said Yakub.
“The club president was elected by them and therefore, no one protested.”
“We have teams at the Premier, first, second and at the under-18 level,” informed Yakub.