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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 runs to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom home situated in main Mumbai, a middle-aged man is seeing the video game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his smart phone glued to his best hand.

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

Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, now as the Indian batsman gets ready to face the last over he's altered 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 becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

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

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

Other than horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not enabled in India. Despite that, illegal wagering distributes flourish in the country.

'Black money'

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 sports betting money is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal avenue, bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest individual run scorer.

Most of these transactions involve so-called "black money", which is money not declared 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 nothing comparable here.

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

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

But despite this, it is "offline gambling", done through call which dominate the market.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has actually grown after a panel designated by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, stating it would assist clamp down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend 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 sports betting scandal emerged.

Two franchises 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 bring in tax profits for the exchequer that might total up to $2bn a year.

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

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

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

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

"If you work together with sports betting companies, you will have an extremely reliable method of marking out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

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

However, there are limitations.
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"Definitely there will be illegal wagering because (some) people would not want to leave an audit path by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who utilize unaccounted money to place huge bets will never bet legally.

Approval question

For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to develop a new law, and politically this will be a hard idea to offer.

"Although lots of people are associated with some sort of sports betting - it's still a controversial issue for many," says our unnamed punter.

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

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

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