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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 reporter

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

In his two-bedroom house located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged male is seeing the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his right-hand man.

He has actually made more than 10 calls in the last thirty minutes - not to go over the match but to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, now as the Indian batsman gets prepared to deal with the last over he's changed his mind.

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

And a few minutes later his prediction comes true, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

"I have made $200 today," he states with a childlike 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 illegal in India.

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

'Black cash'

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 sports betting cash is directed towards cricket.

With no legal avenue, punters place bets using 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 cash", which is money not stated to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any type of gaming in India, however unlike in the US which has a law prohibiting internet sports betting, there is nothing similar here.

And overseas wagering business are using this loophole to entice Indians. Although there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have registered accounts with offshore firms.

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

But despite this, it is "offline sports betting", done through telephone call which dominate the marketplace.

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has actually grown after a panel designated 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 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 wagering scandal emerged.

Two franchises have been prohibited for two years after some gamers and team authorities were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookies.
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The panel likewise argues that legalised wagering will generate tax profits for the exchequer that might total up to $2bn a year.

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

"I do not mind paying some cash out my earnings, as long as I can bet publicly," says our cricket bettor.

It would likewise open a huge for certified bookies and worldwide online sports betting business to establish operations in India.

And it would assist limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by helping make transactions involved in gambling more transparent.

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

But many likewise believe, that the taxes levied on the gambler and the bookmaker will have to be reasonable to make it attractive enough for them to bet legally.
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However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting because (some) individuals would not wish to leave an audit trail by going into the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who utilize unaccounted money to position big bets will never ever gamble legally.

Approval question

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

"Although lots of people are involved in some sort of gaming - it's still a questionable problem for numerous," says our unnamed punter.
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And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will need 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 negative about this coming true anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having actually been endorsed by an official panel for the very first time, a minimum of an argument has actually sparked around a topic - which till now was thought about a taboo.