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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 needing 17 go to win against Australia.
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In his two-bedroom house located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is watching the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour sofa 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 modifying his bet.

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

"I believe India is winning, make the change," he tells his bookmaker on the phone.
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And a couple of minutes later his prediction becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

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

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

Besides horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, unlawful wagering distributes grow in the nation.
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'Black money'

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

With no legal avenue, punters position bets using their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bet on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest individual 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 sort of sports betting in India, however unlike in the US which has a law prohibiting internet gambling, there is absolutely nothing similar here.

And overseas sports betting companies are utilizing this loophole to draw Indians. Even though there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot people have actually registered accounts with overseas companies.

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

But despite this, it is "offline gambling", done through call which control the market.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying it would assist secure down on corruption in the nation's favourite 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 emerged.
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Two franchises have been banned for two years after some gamers and group officials were discovered guilty of fixing parts of the match at the request of bookies.

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

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

"I do not mind paying some money out my profits, as long as I can gamble openly," states our cricket gambler.

It would also open a huge organization opportunity for licensed bookies and global online wagering companies to establish operations in India.

And it would help limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by assisting make deals associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work along with wagering business, you will have an extremely reliable technique of marking out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But many likewise believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookie will have to be affordable to make it attractive enough for them to gamble lawfully.
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However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be unlawful wagering since (some) individuals would not wish to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," states Mr Oborne.
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He includes that people who utilize unaccounted cash to position big bets will never ever gamble legally.

Approval question

For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to produce a brand-new law, and politically this will be a tough concept to sell.

"Despite the fact that many individuals are involved in some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial problem for lots of," says our unnamed punter.

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

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

Yet with the concept having actually been endorsed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of a dispute has sparked around a topic - which previously was considered a taboo.