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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 press reporter

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

In his two-bedroom home located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged guy 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 made more than 10 employ the last 30 minutes - not to talk about the match but to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes earlier his cash was on Australia, however now as the Indian batsman prepares to face 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 on his prediction becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

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

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

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

'Black money'

According to the Centre for sports betting Security, India's unlawful sports betting wagering market deserves some $150bn a year. And much of that gambling money is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal opportunity, punters place bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bet on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest specific run scorer.

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

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any type of gambling in India, however unlike in the US which has a law prohibiting web gambling, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.

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

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

But in spite of this, it is "offline gambling", done through phone calls 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 assist clamp down on corruption in the nation's favourite sport.

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

Two franchises have actually been prohibited for 2 years after some gamers and group officials were condemned of fixing parts of the match at the wish of bookmakers.

The panel also argues that legalised wagering will bring in tax profits for the exchequer that could total up to $2bn a year.

Even gamblers feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a relocation in the right instructions.

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

It would likewise open a substantial business opportunity for certified bookmakers and global online wagering business to set up operations in India.

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

"If you work together with wagering business, you will have an extremely effective technique of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But numerous likewise believe, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be affordable to make it attractive enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting due to the fact that (some) people would not want to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who use unaccounted cash to place big bets will never bet legally.

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 sell.

"Even though lots of people are involved in some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial issue for lots of," says our unnamed punter.

And given that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their area.
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"The process 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 concept having actually been backed by a main panel for the very first time, at least a debate has ignited around a subject - which previously was thought about a taboo.
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