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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India

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 runs to win against Australia.

In his two-bedroom house situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is viewing the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his best hand.

He has made more than 10 contact the last thirty minutes - not to go over the match however to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes earlier his cash was on Australia, now as the Indian batsman gets ready to face the last over he's altered his mind.
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"I think India is winning, make the modification," he informs his bookmaker on the phone.

And a few minutes later his forecast becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

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

For more than 3 decades he's been sports betting 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 enabled in India. Despite that, illegal sports betting distributes prosper in the nation.

'Black cash'

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

Without any legal opportunity, punters position bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest specific run scorer.

Most of these transactions include so-called "black money", which is cash not declared to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any type of gambling in India, however unlike in the US which has a law restricting web gambling, there is nothing comparable here.

And offshore sports betting business are using this loophole to draw Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have actually signed up accounts with overseas firms.
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"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online gambling," says Mumbai- based attorney HP Ranina.

But regardless of this, it is "offline gambling", done through phone calls which control the marketplace.

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest modifications in the functioning 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 been prohibited for 2 years after some gamers and team authorities were discovered guilty of fixing parts of the match at the request of bookmakers.
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The panel also argues that legalised wagering will bring in tax earnings for the exchequer that could total up to $2bn a year.

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

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

It would also open a big organization chance for certified bookies and worldwide online sports betting business to establish operations in India.

And it would assist restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by helping make transactions involved in gambling more transparent.
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"If you work along with wagering companies, you will have a very reliable approach of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

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

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting because (some) people wouldn't desire to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who utilize unaccounted money to position huge bets will never ever bet lawfully.

Approval question

For to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to create a new law, and politically this will be a difficult concept to offer.

"Even however lots of people are associated with some sort of sports betting - it's still a questionable problem for numerous," says our unnamed punter.

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their area.

"The process is so long and tricky 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 idea having been backed by an official panel for the very first time, at least a dispute has sparked around a subject - which previously was considered a taboo.