Demonetisation to impact cock fighting this year

VISAKHAPATNAM: January 2017 may be a month away, but those who are engaged in the cock fighting industry in coastal Andhra apprehend that the betting this time around will take a big hit due to the demonetisation of high currency notes by the NDA government on November 8.

Though courts have banned the sport, the annual cock fights continue to be a big betting industry. Cock fighting in coastal Andhra generally crosses Rs 600 crore every year. However, this year the betting amount may not cross Rs 200 crore, sources said.

Preparations for cock fighting usually start by this time of the year, but there is no activity this time around. There are more than 2,000 big organisers in East and West Godavari districts alone, sources said. Every year, the traditional sport starts around the first week of December, peaks in the month of January before concluding in the week leading to Sankranti.



While the big currencies have been banned, there is a huge dearth of the Rs 100 and Rs 50 notes. Therefore, the betting may be reduced to the availability of the Rs 2000 notes. Though the Rs 500 notes were released a couple of days ago, people have not procured sufficient amount for betting, a punter Nekkanti Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Murthy of Konaseema area in East Godavari said.



In East and West Godavari districts, the betting amount crosses Rs 300 crore every year. Rajahmundry and its surrounding rural areas, mandals in Konaseema in East Godavari, Delta areas like Narsapuram, Undi, Palakollu, Bhimavaram, Kalla, Vendra, and Tadepalligudem, Denduluru, Ganapavaram, Attili and other areas in West Godavari are famous for cock fighting. “Lakhs of rupees change hands during cock fighting in the Godavari districts every year. Gundata (a local gambling game), liquor and other facilities are also available for punters. This is a organised gaming zone during the festival season,” an organiser in Konaseema told TOI.



Some of the organisers are accepting old notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 in small numbers till December 31. Cock fighting is also famous in Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore and parts of North Andhra districts.

Rate this post