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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
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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 sofa with his mobile phone glued to his right-hand man.

He has made more than 10 calls in the last 30 minutes - not to discuss the match however to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, today as the Indian batsman gets ready to deal with the last over he's altered his mind.

"I believe 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 surface.
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"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 wagering of any kind is not permitted in India. Despite that, prohibited wagering syndicates prosper in the country.

'Black money'

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 money is directed towards cricket.
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Without any legal opportunity, punters put bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can wager on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest individual run scorer.

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

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of gaming in India, but unlike in the US which has a law forbiding web sports betting, there is nothing comparable here.

And overseas sports betting companies are using this loophole to lure Indians. Although there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot people have signed up accounts with offshore companies.

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

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

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying it would help clamp down on corruption in the country'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 sports betting scandal emerged.

Two franchises have actually been banned for 2 years after some gamers and team authorities were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

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

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

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

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

And it would assist restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by helping make deals included in sports betting more transparent.

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

But numerous also believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be sensible to make it attractive enough for them to .

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting due to the fact that (some) individuals would not desire to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who utilize unaccounted cash to position huge bets will never gamble lawfully.

Approval question

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to produce a brand-new law, and politically this will be a difficult idea to offer.

"Despite the fact that many individuals are associated with some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial problem for numerous," states our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to likewise pass a different 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 becoming a reality anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having been endorsed by a main panel for the first time, at least a dispute has actually fired up around a subject - which previously was thought about a taboo.
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