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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India

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 house located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged man is viewing the video game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his ideal hand.

He has actually made more than 10 calls in the last 30 minutes - not to go over the match but to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes earlier his cash was on Australia, today as the Indian batsman prepares to face the last over he's his mind.
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"I think India is winning, make the change," he tells his bookie on the phone.
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And a couple of minutes later on his prediction comes to life, 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 reveal his name as what he's doing is illegal in India.

Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, unlawful sports betting distributes flourish in the country.
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'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 cash is directed towards cricket.

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

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

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

And overseas wagering companies are using this loophole to draw Indians. Although there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot individuals have registered accounts with overseas firms.

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

But despite this, it is "offline gambling", done through phone calls which control the marketplace.

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest changes 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 2 years after some gamers and group authorities were discovered guilty of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookies.

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

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting is a move in the right direction.

"I do not mind paying some money out my profits, as long as I can gamble publicly," says our cricket bettor.
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It would likewise open a big organization chance for certified bookmakers and worldwide online sports betting business to establish operations in India.

And it would help limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by helping make transactions associated with gambling more transparent.

"If you work together with wagering companies, you will have a very reliable approach of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

But numerous likewise think, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookie will need to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to gamble legally.
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However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be prohibited wagering since (some) people would not desire to leave an audit trail by going into the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who utilize unaccounted money to put huge bets will never ever bet lawfully.

Approval concern

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to develop a brand-new law, and politically this will be a tough idea to offer.
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"Even however lots of people are involved in some sort of sports betting - it's still a controversial concern for numerous," says our unnamed punter.

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a separate 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 quickly."

Yet with the concept having actually been backed by an official panel for the first time, a minimum of a dispute has fired up around a subject - which till now was thought about a taboo.