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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.

In his two-bedroom home located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is viewing the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his ideal hand.

He has made more than 10 employ the last thirty 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 gets all set to face the last over he's changed his mind.
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"I think India is winning, make the modification," he tells his bookie on the phone.

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

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

For more than three years he's been wagering 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 enabled in India. Despite that, unlawful sports betting distributes grow in the nation.

'Black cash'

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

Without any legal opportunity, punters place bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bet on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest individual run scorer.

Most of these deals involve so-called "black money", which is cash not stated to the taxman.

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

And overseas wagering business are utilizing this loophole to entice Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have actually registered accounts with overseas companies.
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"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is uncertain for online gambling," states Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.
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But regardless of this, it is "offline gaming", done through telephone call which dominate the market.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has 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 favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend 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 actually been prohibited for two years after some players and group officials were discovered guilty of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookies.

The panel likewise argues that legalised wagering will bring in tax earnings for the exchequer that could total up to $2bn a year.

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a move in the best instructions.

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

It would likewise open a substantial service chance for licensed bookies and worldwide online sports betting companies to set up operations in India.

And it would assist limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by assisting make deals associated with gambling more transparent.

"If you work together with wagering business, you will have a very reliable approach of stamping out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

But numerous also believe, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookmaker will have to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to gamble lawfully.
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However, there are restrictions.
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"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting because (some) individuals wouldn't wish to leave an audit path by going into the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who utilize unaccounted money to position huge bets will never gamble lawfully.

Approval concern

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

"Despite the fact that many individuals are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a questionable problem for many," says our unnamed punter.

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

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

Yet with the idea having been backed by an official panel for the first time, at least a dispute has fired up around a subject - which previously was thought about a taboo.