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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering 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 requiring 17 go to win against Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged man is enjoying the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his mobile phone glued to his right-hand man.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'Black cash'

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 sports betting money is directed towards cricket.

With no legal opportunity, put bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest private run scorer.

The majority 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 gambling in India, however unlike in the US which has a law forbiding web gambling, there is nothing comparable here.

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

"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is unclear for online gambling," states Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.

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

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, stating it would help secure down on corruption in the country's favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend modifications in the functioning of India's cricket regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League sports betting scandal emerged.

Two franchises have actually been banned for 2 years after some players and team authorities were condemned of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

The panel likewise argues that legalised sports betting will generate tax incomes for the exchequer that might amount to $2bn a year.
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Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting is a move in the right instructions.

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

It would likewise open a substantial company chance for certified bookmakers and worldwide online sports betting companies to set up operations in India.

And it would assist limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by assisting make deals included in gambling more transparent.

"If you work alongside sports betting business, you will have an extremely reliable approach of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

But numerous also believe, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookmaker will have to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be prohibited wagering because (some) people wouldn't desire to leave an audit path by going into the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He includes that people who utilize unaccounted cash to place big bets will never bet lawfully.

Approval question

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

"Even though lots of individuals are included in some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial problem for numerous," says 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 in their territory.

"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 idea having been backed by an official panel for the first time, a minimum of an argument has actually sparked around a subject - which until now was considered a taboo.