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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India
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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 home situated in main Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is seeing the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his smart phone glued to his ideal hand.

He has actually made more than 10 hire the last 30 minutes - not to go over the match but to keep revising his bet.
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Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman gets all set to face the last over he's altered his mind.

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

And a few minutes later on 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 childish glee.

For more than three years he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is unlawful in India.

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

'Black cash'

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

Without any legal avenue, punters place bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bet on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest specific run scorer.

The majority of these transactions involve so-called "black cash", which is money not declared 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 restricting internet sports betting, there is nothing comparable here.

And offshore wagering companies are utilizing this loophole to tempt Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have actually registered accounts with offshore firms.

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

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

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would assist secure down on corruption in the nation's favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend changes in the functioning of India's cricket regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League wagering scandal came to light.

Two franchises have actually been prohibited for two years after some gamers and group authorities were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookmakers.

The panel also argues that legalised sports betting will generate 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 instructions.

"I do not mind paying some money out my earnings, as long as I can gamble publicly," says our cricket gambler.

It would likewise open a big service chance 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 numerous, by helping make deals involved in gambling more transparent.

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

But many likewise think, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookie will need to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting because (some) individuals would not wish to leave an audit path by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.

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

Approval concern

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

"Although lots of people are included in some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial issue for lots of," states our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their territory.
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"The procedure is so long and difficult 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 endorsed by an official panel for the very first time, a minimum of an argument has actually fired up around a subject - which previously was thought about a taboo.