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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India
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Published

5 February 2016

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By Sameer Hashmi
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Mumbai Business reporter

It is the last over of the cricket match, with India needing 17 runs to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom house situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is viewing the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his cellphone glued to his right hand.

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

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

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

And a few minutes later his forecast comes real, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

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

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

Besides horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, unlawful sports betting syndicates prosper in the country.

'Black money'

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 money is directed towards cricket.

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

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

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of gambling in India, but unlike in the US which has a law forbiding internet sports betting, there is nothing similar here.

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

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

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

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to suggest modifications in the functioning of India's cricket regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League sports betting scandal came to light.
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Two have been banned for 2 years after some players and team authorities were found guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

The panel also argues that legalised sports betting will generate tax incomes for the exchequer that could total up to $2bn a year.

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

"I do not mind paying some money out my profits, as long as I can gamble openly," says our cricket bettor.

It would likewise open a big company chance for licensed bookies and global online wagering companies to establish operations in India.

And it would help restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by helping make transactions involved in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work together with wagering business, you will have a really efficient technique of marking out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.
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But many likewise believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookie will need to be reasonable to make it attractive enough for them to bet lawfully.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be unlawful wagering due to the fact that (some) people wouldn't want to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

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

Approval question

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

"Despite the fact that many individuals are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a questionable problem for many," says our unnamed punter.

And given that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their area.

"The procedure is so long and tricky that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having been backed by an official panel for the very first time, a minimum of an argument has actually fired up around a topic - which previously was considered a taboo.
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