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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 requiring 17 go to win against Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in main Mumbai, a male is watching the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his best hand.

He has made more than 10 employ the last 30 minutes - not to discuss the match but to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, and now 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 informs his bookmaker on the phone.

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

"I have made $200 today," he says with a childlike glee.
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For more than 3 decades he's been sports betting on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is prohibited in India.

Other than horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not enabled in India. Despite that, prohibited wagering syndicates prosper in the nation.

'Black money'

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

With no legal avenue, punters put bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest private run scorer.

The majority of these deals include so-called "black cash", which is cash not stated to the taxman.

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

And offshore sports betting business are using this loophole to lure Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have actually registered accounts with overseas companies.

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

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

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel designated by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying it would help secure down on corruption in the country's favourite 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 came to light.

Two franchises have been prohibited for 2 years after some players and group authorities were found guilty of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookmakers.

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

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting is a move in the right instructions.

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

It would also open a big business chance for licensed bookmakers and global online wagering companies to set up operations in India.

And it would assist restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by assisting make transactions involved in gambling more transparent.

"If you work alongside wagering business, you will have an extremely efficient technique of marking out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But lots of also believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting since (some) individuals would not want to leave an audit path by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who use unaccounted money to position huge bets will never bet legally.

Approval question

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

"Although lots of individuals are included in some sort of gaming - it's still a questionable concern for lots of," says our unnamed punter.

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their territory.
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"The process is so long and challenging that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this coming true anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having been backed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of a debate has ignited around a topic - which previously was considered a taboo.