Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India
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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 versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom home situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is seeing 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 actually made more than 10 contact the last thirty minutes - not to discuss the match but to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, now as the Indian batsman prepares yourself to face the last over he's changed his mind.

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

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

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

Aside from horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, prohibited wagering distributes prosper in the country.
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'Black cash'

According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's prohibited sports betting wagering market is worth some $150bn a year. And much of that gambling cash is directed towards cricket.
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Without any legal opportunity, punters place bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can wager on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest individual run scorer.

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

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any sort of gambling in India, however unlike in the US which has a law forbiding internet gaming, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.

And offshore sports betting business are utilizing this loophole to tempt Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have signed up accounts with overseas firms.

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

But regardless of this, it is "offline gaming", done through call which dominate the market.

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to suggest changes in the performance of India's cricket regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League wagering scandal emerged.

Two franchises have been banned for two years after some gamers and group officials were discovered guilty of fixing parts of the match at the wish of bookmakers.

The panel also argues that legalised wagering will generate tax revenues for the exchequer that might amount to $2bn a year.

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

"I don't mind paying some cash out my revenues, as long as I can gamble openly," states our cricket bettor.

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

And it would help restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by assisting make deals involved in gambling more transparent.

"If you work alongside wagering companies, you will have an extremely reliable approach of marking out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But numerous also think, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookmaker will have to be affordable to make it appealing enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting due to the fact that (some) people wouldn't wish to leave an audit path by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.
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He adds that people who use unaccounted money to put huge bets will never ever gamble lawfully.

Approval question

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

"Even however numerous individuals are associated with some sort of gambling - it's still a questionable concern for numerous," states 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 gambling in their area.

"The procedure is so long and difficult that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this ending up being a truth anytime quickly."

Yet with the having actually been backed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of a dispute has actually fired up around a subject - which previously was considered a taboo.