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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 house situated in main Mumbai, a middle-aged man is seeing 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 contact the last 30 minutes - not to go over the match however to keep modifying his bet.
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Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, however now as the Indian batsman gets prepared to face the last over he's altered his mind.

"I believe India is winning, make the modification," he tells his bookie on the phone.

And a couple of minutes later his prediction becomes a reality, 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 years 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 in India. Despite that, illegal wagering distributes grow in the nation.

'Black cash'
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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 gambling money is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal opportunity, punters position bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything related 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 cash not declared to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any sort of gambling in India, however unlike in the US which has a law restricting internet gaming, there is absolutely nothing similar here.

And overseas sports betting business 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 signed up accounts with overseas firms.

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

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

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has grown after a panel designated by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, saying it would assist clamp down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.
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The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest modifications in the functioning of India's cricket regulatory body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League sports betting scandal emerged.

Two franchises have been banned for 2 years after some players and group authorities were found guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

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

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

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

It would also open a huge service opportunity for certified bookies and worldwide online sports betting business to set up operations in India.

And it would help limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by helping make transactions included in gambling more transparent.

"If you work alongside sports betting business, you will have a really efficient approach of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But many also believe, that the taxes imposed on the and the bookie will have to be affordable to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are constraints.
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"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting due to the fact that (some) people wouldn't desire to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who use unaccounted money to put huge bets will never gamble lawfully.

Approval concern

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to develop a brand-new law, and politically this will be a tough idea to offer.

"Even however many people are involved in some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial concern for lots of," says our unnamed punter.

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their area.

"The procedure is so long and challenging that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this coming true anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having actually been endorsed by an official panel for the very first time, a minimum of a debate has actually ignited around a subject - which previously was considered a taboo.
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