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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 needing 17 go to win versus Australia.

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

He has made more than 10 calls in the last thirty minutes - not to talk about the match however to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, but now as the Indian batsman prepares to deal with the last over he's altered his mind.

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

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

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

For more than 3 years he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is unlawful in India.

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

'Black money'

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

Without any legal opportunity, punters place bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can wager on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest individual run scorer.

Most of these deals involve so-called "black money", which is cash not declared to the taxman.

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

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

"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is uncertain for online gambling," says Mumbai- based lawyer HP Ranina.

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

Require legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend modifications in the performance 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 been prohibited for two years after some gamers and team authorities were found guilty of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

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

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

"I don't mind paying some cash out my earnings, as long as I can bet publicly," states our cricket bettor.

It would likewise open a substantial company opportunity for certified bookies and global online wagering companies to establish operations in India.

And it would help limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by helping make deals associated with gambling more transparent.

"If you work along with sports betting business, you will have a very reliable technique of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

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

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting since (some) individuals wouldn't want to leave an audit path by getting in the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who utilize unaccounted cash to position big bets will never ever bet lawfully.

Approval concern

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

"Although many individuals are involved in some sort of sports betting - it's still a controversial problem for numerous," 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 gambling in their area.
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"The procedure is so long and difficult that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this becoming a reality anytime soon."

Yet with the idea having actually been endorsed by a main panel for the first time, a minimum of a debate has actually sparked around a subject - which previously was thought about a taboo.