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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 India requiring 17 go to win against Australia.

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

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

Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, now as the Indian batsman gets all set to face the last over he's altered his mind.

"I think India is winning, make the change," he informs his bookie on the phone.

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

Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not permitted in India. Despite that, unlawful sports betting syndicates flourish in the nation.

'Black cash'

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

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

The majority of these transactions involve so-called "black money", which is money not stated to the taxman.

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

And offshore sports betting business are using this loophole to entice Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have actually signed up accounts with overseas firms.

"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online gaming," states Mumbai- based lawyer HP Ranina.

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

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has actually grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, saying it would assist secure down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.

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

Two franchises have been prohibited for 2 years after some gamers and team authorities were discovered guilty of fixing parts of the match at the request of bookmakers.

The panel likewise argues that legalised wagering will bring in tax revenues for the exchequer that could amount to $2bn a year.

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

"I don't mind paying some cash out my revenues, as long as I can bet openly," states our cricket gambler.

It would also open a big company chance for licensed bookmakers and international online sports betting business to establish operations in India.

And it would assist limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by helping make transactions involved in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside sports betting companies, you will have a very effective technique of marking out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

But lots of also believe, that the taxes levied on the gambler and the bookmaker will need to be affordable to make it appealing enough for them to bet lawfully.

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting since (some) individuals would not wish to leave an audit path by going into the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who use unaccounted money to position huge bets will never ever gamble legally.

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 hard idea to offer.

"Even however many individuals are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial concern for many," says our unnamed punter.

And provided that India has a - each state will need to likewise pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their territory.
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"The procedure is so long and tricky that it will take years," says 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 very first time, a minimum of a debate has fired up around a topic - which till now was thought about a taboo.
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