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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India

5 February 2016

By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business reporter
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It is the last over of the cricket match, with India requiring 17 go to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom home located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged man is enjoying 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 actually made more than 10 contact the last 30 minutes - not to go over the match but to keep modifying his bet.

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

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

And a couple of minutes later his prediction 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 three years he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is unlawful in India.

Besides horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed in India. Despite that, prohibited wagering distributes thrive in the nation.
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'Black cash'
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According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's illegal sports betting wagering market deserves some $150bn a year. And much of that sports betting money is directed towards cricket.

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

Most of these deals include so-called "black money", which is cash 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 restricting web gambling, there is nothing similar here.

And overseas sports betting companies are using this loophole to tempt Indians. Although there are no online sports betting based out of India, a lot people have actually signed up accounts with overseas firms.

"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is unclear for online gaming," says Mumbai- based lawyer HP Ranina.

But in spite of this, it is "offline sports betting", done through phone calls which dominate the marketplace.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has actually 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 favourite sport.
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The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to suggest modifications in the functioning 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 been prohibited for two years after some players and team authorities were condemned of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

The panel also argues that legalised sports betting will bring in tax profits for the exchequer that could total up to $2bn a year.
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Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a relocation in the ideal direction.
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"I do not mind paying some money out my revenues, as long as I can gamble openly," states our cricket gambler.

It would also open a substantial organization chance for licensed bookies and international online wagering companies to establish operations in India.

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

"If you work along with sports betting companies, you will have a really effective technique of stamping out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But numerous also think, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookmaker will have to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting because (some) people would not wish to leave an audit path by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.
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He includes that people who utilize unaccounted money to put big bets will never gamble lawfully.

Approval question

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to create a new law, and politically this will be a difficult idea to sell.

"Despite the fact that many people are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial concern for numerous," says our unnamed punter.

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

"The process is so long and tricky that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this becoming a reality anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having been endorsed by an official panel for the first time, at least an argument has sparked around a topic - which until now was considered a taboo.