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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India
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Published

5 February 2016

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By Sameer Hashmi
bit.ly
Mumbai Business press reporter

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

In his two-bedroom home situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is enjoying the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his best hand.

He has made more than 10 contact the last 30 minutes - not to talk about the match however to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, today as the Indian batsman gets prepared to face the last over he's his mind.

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

And a few minutes later his forecast becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

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

For more than 3 years he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is illegal in India.

Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not enabled in India. Despite that, illegal sports betting syndicates flourish in the country.

'Black money'

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

With no legal opportunity, punters put bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest specific run scorer.

The majority of these deals involve so-called "black money", which is money not declared to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any type of gambling in India, however unlike in the US which has a law restricting web gaming, there is nothing comparable here.

And offshore sports betting business are using this loophole to tempt Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have actually signed up accounts with overseas firms.

"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online sports betting," says Mumbai- based lawyer HP Ranina.

But regardless of this, it is "offline gaming", done through phone calls which dominate the market.

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has actually grown after a panel designated by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would help clamp down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up 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 sports betting scandal came to light.

Two franchises have been prohibited for 2 years after some gamers and group authorities were found guilty of fixing parts of the match at the request of bookmakers.

The panel likewise argues that legalised wagering will generate tax incomes for the exchequer that might total up to $2bn a year.

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting is a relocation in the ideal direction.

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

It would also open a big service opportunity for licensed bookies and global online sports betting business to set up operations in India.

And it would help restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by assisting make transactions associated with gambling more transparent.

"If you work along with sports betting business, you will have a really effective method of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.

But many likewise believe, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookmaker will have to be reasonable to make it attractive enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be prohibited wagering because (some) individuals wouldn't desire to leave an audit path by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who use unaccounted money to position big bets will never bet legally.

Approval question

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

"Even however lots of people are included in some sort of gaming - it's still a questionable issue for many," states our unnamed punter.

And given that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their territory.
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"The process is so long and challenging that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this becoming a truth anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having been backed by a main panel for the first time, a minimum of a dispute has fired up around a topic - which previously was considered a taboo.
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