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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 reporter

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

In his two-bedroom house situated 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.

He has made more than 10 calls in the last 30 minutes - not to talk about the match however to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, today as the Indian batsman gets prepared to deal with the last over he's altered his mind.

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

And a couple of 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 expose his name as what he's doing is prohibited in India.

Other than horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed in India. Despite that, illegal sports betting distributes thrive in the nation.

'Black cash'

According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's illegal sports betting market is worth some $150bn a year. And much of that gambling cash is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal avenue, punters put bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest private run scorer.

The majority of these deals involve so-called "black money", which is cash not declared to the taxman.

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

And overseas sports betting business are utilizing this loophole to lure Indians. Although there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot individuals have actually signed up accounts with overseas companies.

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

But in spite of this, it is "offline sports betting", done through call which control the market.

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel designated by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, stating it would help clamp down on corruption in the nation's favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established 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 emerged.

Two franchises have actually been banned for 2 years after some players and team authorities were found guilty of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

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

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a move in the best instructions.

"I do not mind paying some cash out my profits, as long as I can gamble publicly," states our cricket bettor.

It would also open a substantial service opportunity for licensed bookies and worldwide online sports betting companies to establish operations in India.

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

"If you work together with sports betting business, you will have an extremely reliable technique of marking out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.

But many also think, 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 because (some) people wouldn't wish to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He includes that people who utilize unaccounted money to place huge bets will never gamble legally.

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 difficult idea to offer.

"Although lots of people are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a questionable concern for numerous," 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 gambling in their area.

"The process is so long and difficult 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 actually been backed by an official panel for the first time, at least a dispute has actually fired up around a topic - which up until now was considered a taboo.
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