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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 runs to win against Australia.

In his two-bedroom home situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is enjoying the game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his ideal hand.

He has made more than 10 hire the last thirty minutes - not to discuss the match however to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman gets ready to deal with the last over he's changed his mind.

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

And a few minutes later his prediction comes to life, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

"I have actually made $200 today," he says with a childish glee.

For more than three years he's been sports betting on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is prohibited in India.

Besides horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not enabled in India. Despite that, illegal wagering syndicates grow in the nation.

'Black money'

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

With no legal avenue, punters position 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 transactions include so-called "black cash", which is cash not stated to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of gaming in India, but unlike in the US which has a law restricting web gambling, there is absolutely nothing similar here.

And offshore sports betting companies are using this loophole to entice Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have actually signed up accounts with offshore 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 gaming", done through phone calls which dominate the market.

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has actually grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, stating it would help secure down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest modifications in the 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 prohibited for two years after some players and group officials were discovered guilty of repairing parts of the match at the wish of bookies.

The panel also argues that legalised sports betting will generate tax revenues for the exchequer that could total up to $2bn a year.

Even gamblers feel that legalising sports betting is a relocation in the ideal direction.

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

It would also open a big business chance for certified bookies and global online wagering business to establish operations in India.

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

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

But numerous also believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookie will have to be reasonable to make it attractive enough for them to bet lawfully.

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting because (some) people wouldn't want to leave an audit path by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who utilize unaccounted money to position big bets will never bet lawfully.

Approval concern

For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to create a brand-new law, and politically this will be a difficult idea to offer.

"Despite the fact that many individuals are involved in some sort of gaming - it's still a questionable concern for many," says our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to likewise pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their territory.
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"The process is so long and difficult that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having actually been backed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of a debate has fired up around a subject - which up until now was thought about a taboo.