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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India

Published

5 February 2016

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By Sameer Hashmi
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Mumbai Business 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 viewing the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his cellphone glued to his right-hand man.

He has made more than 10 contact the last 30 minutes - not to discuss the match but to keep modifying his bet.
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Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, but now as the Indian batsman gets all set to deal with the last over he's altered his mind.

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

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

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

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

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

'Black money'

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

Without any legal opportunity, punters position bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can wager on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest private run scorer.

The majority of these deals include so-called "black money", 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 forbiding web sports betting, there is nothing similar here.

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

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

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

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has actually grown after a panel appointed 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 suggest modifications in the performance of India's cricket regulatory body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League wagering scandal came to light.

Two franchises have actually been banned for 2 years after some players and team authorities were found guilty of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

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

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

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

It would likewise open a big business chance for and worldwide online sports betting companies to set up operations in India.

And it would help limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by assisting make transactions involved in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work together with wagering business, you will have a very efficient technique of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

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

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

He includes that individuals who utilize unaccounted cash to place big bets will never ever gamble legally.

Approval question

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to produce a new law, and politically this will be a difficult concept to sell.

"Although lots of individuals are included in some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial concern for many," says our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to likewise pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their area.
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"The procedure is so long and difficult that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this coming true anytime quickly."

Yet with the idea having actually been backed by a main panel for the very first time, at least a debate has sparked around a topic - which up until now was thought about a taboo.