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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India
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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 versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged male is seeing 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 hire the last 30 minutes - not to go over the match but to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, today as the Indian batsman prepares yourself to face the last over he's changed his mind.

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

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

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

Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, unlawful sports betting distributes prosper in the country.

'Black money'

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

With no legal avenue, punters put bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest specific 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 kind of sports betting in India, but unlike in the US which has a law forbiding web gambling, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.

And overseas wagering companies are using this loophole to tempt Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have actually signed up accounts with overseas companies.

"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online gambling," states based attorney HP Ranina.

But in spite of this, it is "offline sports betting", done through call which dominate the marketplace.

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has actually grown after a panel designated by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, stating it would help clamp down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend 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 emerged.

Two franchises have actually been banned for 2 years after some gamers and team officials were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the wish of bookmakers.

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

Even gamblers feel that legalising sports betting is a move in the right direction.

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

It would likewise open a big business opportunity for licensed bookmakers and international online sports betting business to establish operations in India.

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

"If you work alongside sports betting business, you will have a really efficient method of stamping out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

But lots of also think, that the taxes levied on the gambler and the bookmaker will have to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to bet lawfully.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be prohibited wagering because (some) individuals would not want to leave an audit path by entering the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that individuals who use unaccounted cash to put big bets will never ever bet lawfully.

Approval question

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

"Despite the fact that many individuals are involved in some sort of sports betting - it's still a questionable concern for lots of," states our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a separate law to legalise sports betting gambling in their territory.
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"The procedure is so long and challenging that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this ending up being a truth anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having been endorsed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of a debate has actually sparked around a subject - which up until now was thought about a taboo.