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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 requiring 17 go to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom home located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is enjoying the game, nervously. He’s sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his right hand.

He has actually made more than 10 employ the last thirty minutes - not to talk about the match but to keep modifying his bet.

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

“I believe India is winning, make the modification,” he informs his bookmaker on the phone.

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

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

‘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 sports betting cash is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal opportunity, punters position bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can wager 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 cash”, which is cash not stated to the taxman.

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

And overseas sports betting companies are utilizing this loophole to lure Indians. Although there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot individuals have registered accounts with overseas companies.

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

But in spite of this, it is “offline gaming”, done through telephone call which dominate the marketplace.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India’s Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying it would help clamp 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 regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League wagering scandal emerged.

Two franchises have actually been banned for 2 years after some players and group officials were found guilty of repairing parts of the match at the wish of bookies.

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

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

“I don’t mind paying some money out my revenues, as long as I can bet publicly,” states our cricket gambler.

It would also open a substantial service chance for licensed bookmakers and global online wagering business to set up operations in India.

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

“If you work together with wagering business, you will have an extremely effective technique of stamping out match repairing,” states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

But numerous also believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be affordable to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are restrictions.

“Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting since (some) individuals would not desire to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market,” states Mr Oborne.

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

Approval question

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

“Even though many individuals are involved in some sort of gaming - it’s still a controversial issue for many,” says our unnamed punter.

And provided that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their territory.
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“The process is so long and tricky 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, at least a dispute has sparked around a which till now was considered a taboo.