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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 needing 17 go to win against Australia.

In his two-bedroom home situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is watching the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his ideal hand.

He has made more than 10 hire the last thirty minutes - not to discuss the match but to keep revising his bet.

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

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

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

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

For more than three 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, prohibited sports betting syndicates grow in the country.

'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 cash is directed towards cricket.

With no legal opportunity, place bets using their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest private run scorer.

Most of these transactions include so-called "black cash", which is cash not stated to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any type of gambling in India, but unlike in the US which has a law forbiding web sports betting, there is nothing similar here.
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And offshore sports betting companies 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 signed up accounts with overseas companies.

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

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

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying 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 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 emerged.

Two franchises have been banned for 2 years after some gamers and team officials were condemned of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.
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The panel also argues that legalised wagering will generate tax incomes for the exchequer that could amount to $2bn a year.

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

"I don't mind paying some cash out my profits, as long as I can gamble openly," says our cricket gambler.

It would also open a huge organization chance for licensed bookies and worldwide online wagering business to establish operations in India.

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

"If you work together with sports betting business, you will have a really efficient technique of marking out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

But lots of likewise believe, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookmaker will have to be affordable to make it attractive enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting since (some) people would not wish to leave an audit path by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who use unaccounted cash to put huge bets will never ever gamble lawfully.

Approval concern

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 offer.

"Although many individuals are included in some sort of sports betting - it's still a controversial problem for lots of," says our unnamed punter.

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

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

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