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 needing 17 runs to win versus Australia.

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

He has actually made more than 10 calls in the last thirty minutes - not to discuss the match but to keep modifying his bet.

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

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

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

"I have actually made $200 today," he states with a childlike glee.

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

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

'Black cash'

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

With no legal opportunity, punters put bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest private run scorer.

Most of these transactions include so-called "black cash", which is cash not declared to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any sort of gaming in India, but unlike in the US which has a law restricting web sports betting, there is nothing comparable here.

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

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

But regardless of this, it is "offline gaming", done through phone calls which control the marketplace.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has actually grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, saying it would assist secure down on corruption in the nation's favourite 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 wagering scandal came to light.

Two franchises have actually been banned for 2 years after some players and team officials were found guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

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

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

"I do not mind paying some money out my earnings, as long as I can gamble publicly," states our cricket bettor.

It would also open a substantial organization opportunity for licensed bookies and global online wagering business to establish operations in India.

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

"If you work along with wagering business, you will have a very effective approach of stamping out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

But numerous likewise believe, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookmaker will have to be sensible to make it enough for them to bet lawfully.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be unlawful wagering due to the fact that (some) people wouldn't want to leave an audit path by getting in the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that individuals who use unaccounted money to position huge bets will never bet legally.

Approval concern

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to develop a brand-new law, and politically this will be a difficult idea to sell.

"Despite the fact that lots of people are associated with some sort of sports betting - it's still a questionable problem for many," states our unnamed punter.

And considered 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 process is so long and difficult 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 an official panel for the first time, at least a dispute has sparked around a topic - which previously was thought about a taboo.
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