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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 press reporter

It is the last over of the cricket match, with India needing 17 go to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is viewing the video game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his cellphone glued to his best hand.

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

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

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

And a few minutes later his prediction becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

"I have actually made $200 today," he says 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 unlawful in India.

Aside from horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed in India. Despite that, illegal sports betting distributes flourish in the country.

'Black cash'

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 money is directed towards cricket.
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With no legal opportunity, punters put bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bet on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest individual run scorer.

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

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any type of gambling in India, but unlike in the US which has a law forbiding internet sports betting, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.

And offshore sports betting business are using this loophole to entice Indians. Although there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot people have registered accounts with overseas companies.

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

But despite this, it is "offline sports betting", done through call which dominate the market.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, saying 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 sports betting scandal emerged.

Two franchises have been prohibited for two years after some gamers and group authorities were discovered guilty of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookies.

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

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

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

It would also open a big business opportunity for certified bookmakers and worldwide online sports betting companies to set up operations in India.

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

"If you work together with wagering companies, you will have a really reliable approach of marking out match repairing," says 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 affordable to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are .

"Definitely there will be unlawful wagering since (some) people would not wish to leave an audit path by entering the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who use unaccounted money to place big bets will never ever bet lawfully.

Approval question

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to create a new law, and politically this will be a tough concept to sell.

"Despite the fact that lots of people are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial concern for many," says our unnamed punter.

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to likewise pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their area.
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"The procedure is so long and tricky 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 been endorsed by a main panel for the very first time, at least a debate has fired up around a subject - which till now was thought about a taboo.
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