Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India
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5 February 2016

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By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business reporter

It is the last over of the cricket match, with India requiring 17 go to win against Australia.

In his two-bedroom house situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged man is seeing the video 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 hire the last 30 minutes - not to discuss the match but to keep modifying his bet.

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

"I believe India is winning, make the modification," he informs his bookmaker on the phone.

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

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

For more than 3 decades he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is illegal in India.
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Other than horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed 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 unlawful sports betting market is worth some $150bn a year. And much of that gambling money is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal opportunity, punters position bets using their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest private run scorer.

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

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

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

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

But in spite of this, it is "offline gaming", done through call which control the marketplace.

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend changes 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.

Two franchises have actually been prohibited for 2 years after some gamers and team officials were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

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

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting is a relocation in the right direction.

"I don't mind paying some cash out my earnings, as long as I can bet publicly," states our cricket bettor.

It would also open a substantial service chance for licensed bookies and global online wagering business to set up operations in India.

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

"If you work alongside sports betting companies, you will have a really reliable technique of stamping out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

But many likewise think, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookie will need to be reasonable to make it attractive enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are restrictions.

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

He includes that people who utilize unaccounted cash to place big bets will never ever gamble legally.

Approval concern

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to produce a brand-new law, and politically this will be a difficult concept to offer.

"Although many individuals are associated with some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial issue for lots of," states our unnamed punter.

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to likewise pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their territory.

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

Yet with the concept having been backed by a main panel for the very first time, at least a debate has actually fired up around a topic - which previously was thought about a taboo.
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