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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India

Published

5 February 2016
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By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business press reporter

It is the last over of the cricket match, with India requiring 17 go to win against Australia.

In his two-bedroom home located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is seeing the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his right-hand man.

He has actually made more than 10 calls in the last thirty minutes - not to go over the match but to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman prepares yourself to deal with the last over he's altered his mind.

"I think India is winning, make the modification," he informs his bookie on the phone.

And a couple of minutes later his prediction comes to life, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

"I have actually made $200 today," he says with a childish glee.

For more than 3 decades he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is prohibited in India.

Other than horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, illegal sports betting distributes prosper in the nation.

'Black money'
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According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's prohibited sports betting market deserves some $150bn a year. And much of that sports betting cash is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal opportunity, punters put bets using their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest private run scorer.

Most of these deals include so-called "black cash", which is cash not stated to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of sports betting in India, but unlike in the US which has a law restricting internet gambling, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.

And offshore sports betting business are using this loophole to entice Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot individuals have actually registered accounts with overseas companies.

"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is unclear for online gaming," says Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.

But regardless of this, it is "offline sports betting", done through telephone call which control the market.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying it would help clamp down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend changes in the performance of India's cricket regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League sports betting scandal emerged.
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Two franchises have been prohibited for 2 years after some players and group authorities were found guilty of fixing parts of the match at the request of bookmakers.

The panel likewise argues that will bring in tax earnings for the exchequer that could amount to $2bn a year.

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a move in the right instructions.

"I don't mind paying some cash out my revenues, as long as I can bet publicly," states our cricket gambler.

It would also open a huge service opportunity for licensed bookmakers and international online sports betting business to set up operations in India.

And it would help restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by helping make deals associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside sports betting companies, you will have an extremely reliable method of marking out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But lots of also think, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are restrictions.
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"Definitely there will be prohibited wagering due to the fact that (some) people wouldn't wish to leave an audit path by going into the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who use unaccounted money to put huge bets will never bet legally.

Approval concern

For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to develop a new law, and politically this will be a tough idea to sell.

"Although lots of people are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial problem for many," states our unnamed punter.

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a separate law to legalise sports betting gambling in their territory.

"The procedure is so long and challenging that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this ending up being a truth anytime soon."

Yet with the idea having actually been backed by an official panel for the very first time, at least a dispute has actually sparked around a topic - which previously was considered a taboo.
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