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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering 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 house located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged man is seeing the video game, nervously. He's 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 calls in the last 30 minutes - not to discuss the match but to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman prepares to face the last over he's changed his mind.

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

And a few minutes later on his forecast comes true, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

"I have actually made $200 today," he says with a childish 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 prohibited in India.

Besides horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, unlawful sports betting distributes flourish in the country.

'Black money'

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

Without any legal avenue, punters position 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 include 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 internet gambling, there is absolutely nothing similar here.

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

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

But in spite of this, it is "offline sports betting", 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 concept, stating it would help secure down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend modifications in the functioning 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 gamers and group officials were found guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

The panel likewise 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 move in the ideal direction.

"I don't mind paying some money out my profits, as long as I can gamble publicly," states our cricket gambler.

It would also open a big company opportunity for licensed bookmakers and global online sports betting companies to set up operations in India.

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

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

But lots of likewise think, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookie will need to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are constraints.

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

He adds that individuals who utilize unaccounted cash to place big bets will never ever gamble legally.

Approval concern

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to produce a brand-new law, and politically this will be a hard concept to offer.

"Although lots of people are involved in some sort of gambling - it's still a questionable concern for numerous," states our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a separate law to legalise sports betting gambling in their area.
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"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 truth anytime soon."

Yet with the idea having actually been endorsed by an official panel for the very first time, at least an argument has actually fired up around a topic - which previously was thought about a taboo.
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