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

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

He has made more than 10 hire the last thirty minutes - not to talk about the match however to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes earlier his cash was on Australia, but now as the Indian batsman gets ready to face the last over he's changed his mind.

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

And a couple of minutes later on his prediction comes true, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

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

For more than three decades he's been banking 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 in India. Despite that, illegal wagering syndicates flourish in the nation.

'Black money'

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

Without any legal avenue, punters put bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is to the greatest private run scorer.

The majority of these transactions involve so-called "black money", which is money not stated to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of gaming in India, however unlike in the US which has a law forbiding web gaming, there is absolutely nothing similar here.

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

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

But despite this, it is "offline gambling", done through call which control the marketplace.

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend changes in the performance of India's cricket regulatory 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 2 years after some players and group officials were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

The panel also argues that legalised wagering will generate 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 ideal direction.

"I don't mind paying some cash out my revenues, as long as I can gamble openly," says our cricket gambler.

It would also open a huge company 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 numerous, by assisting make transactions associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside sports betting business, you will have an extremely efficient technique of marking out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

But numerous also believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookie will have to be affordable to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting due to the fact that (some) people would not wish to leave an audit path by going into the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that individuals who use unaccounted money to place big bets will never bet legally.

Approval concern

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

"Although numerous people are associated with some sort of sports betting - it's still a questionable concern for many," says our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to likewise pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their area.
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"The process is so long and tricky that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this becoming a truth anytime soon."

Yet with the idea having been endorsed by a main panel for the first time, a minimum of an argument has fired up around a subject - which previously was thought about a taboo.