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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering 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 runs to win against Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is viewing the 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 made more than 10 calls in the last 30 minutes - not to discuss the match but to keep revising his bet.

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

"I believe India is winning, make the change," he informs his bookmaker on the phone.

And a couple of minutes later his forecast 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 three years he's been sports betting on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is prohibited in India.

Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, unlawful wagering syndicates prosper in the country.

'Black money'

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

Without any legal avenue, punters position bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bet on anything associated to the match, from who is winning to the greatest private run scorer.

Most of these transactions involve so-called "black money", which is cash not stated to the taxman.
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The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any type of sports betting in India, but unlike in the US which has a law forbiding internet sports betting, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.

And overseas wagering companies are utilizing this loophole to draw Indians. Although there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have registered accounts with overseas firms.

"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is unclear for online gaming," states Mumbai- based lawyer HP Ranina.
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But regardless of this, it is "offline gaming", done through phone calls which dominate the marketplace.

Calls for legalisation
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The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, stating it would help secure down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest 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 wagering scandal emerged.

Two franchises have been prohibited for 2 years after some players and group officials were discovered guilty of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

The panel likewise argues that legalised sports betting will bring in tax revenues for the exchequer that might amount to $2bn a year.

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

"I do not mind paying some cash out my earnings, as long as I can gamble publicly," says our cricket bettor.

It would also open a huge organization opportunity for licensed bookies and international online wagering business to set up operations in India.
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And it would assist limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by helping make deals included in gambling more transparent.
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"If you work alongside wagering business, you will have a really efficient technique of marking out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.

But numerous likewise think, that the taxes levied on the gambler and the bookmaker will have to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to bet lawfully.

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting since (some) people wouldn't want to leave an audit path by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who utilize unaccounted money to put huge bets will never ever bet legally.

Approval question

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to create a new law, and politically this will be a hard idea to offer.

"Despite the fact that lots of individuals are associated with some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial issue for numerous," states our unnamed punter.

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

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

Yet with the idea having actually been endorsed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of a dispute has ignited around a topic - which until now was thought about a taboo.