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 runs to win versus Australia.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Besides horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not enabled in India. Despite that, unlawful wagering distributes flourish in the country.

'Black money'

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 avenue, punters position bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can wager on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest specific run scorer.

Most of these transactions 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, however unlike in the US which has a law restricting web gaming, there is nothing similar here.

And overseas wagering companies are utilizing this loophole to lure Indians. Although there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have actually registered accounts with offshore firms.

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

But despite this, it is "offline sports betting", done through call which dominate the market.

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest modifications in the of India's cricket regulatory body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League wagering scandal came to light.
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Two franchises have actually been banned for two years after some players and group authorities were condemned of fixing parts of the match at the request of bookies.

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

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

"I do not mind paying some cash out my revenues, as long as I can bet openly," says our cricket gambler.
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It would also open a substantial service chance for licensed bookmakers and international online sports betting companies to establish operations in India.

And it would help restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by helping make transactions associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside sports betting business, you will have a very effective approach of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

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

However, there are limitations.

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

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

Approval question

For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to develop a brand-new law, and politically this will be a hard idea to sell.

"Even however lots of individuals are associated with some sort of gambling - it's still a questionable problem for many," says our unnamed punter.

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to likewise pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their area.
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"The process is so long and difficult that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this becoming a reality anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having actually been endorsed by an official panel for the first time, a minimum of a dispute has actually fired up around a subject - which until now was thought about a taboo.
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