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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 house situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged man is viewing the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his ideal 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, today as the Indian batsman gets all set to face the last over he's altered his mind.

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

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

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

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

Other than horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, prohibited wagering syndicates grow in the nation.

'Black cash'

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 cash is directed towards cricket.

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

The majority of these deals involve so-called "black cash", which is cash not stated to the taxman.

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

And overseas sports betting companies are utilizing this loophole to draw Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have signed up accounts with offshore companies.

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

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

Require legalisation
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The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has actually grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying it would assist secure down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend modifications in the functioning of India's cricket regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League came to light.

Two franchises have actually been banned for 2 years after some players and group authorities were discovered guilty of fixing parts of the match at the wish of bookmakers.

The panel also 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 ideal direction.

"I don't mind paying some cash out my profits, as long as I can gamble openly," says our cricket bettor.

It would likewise open a big organization opportunity for licensed bookmakers and international online sports betting companies to establish operations in India.

And it would help limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by helping make transactions involved in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside sports betting companies, you will have a very reliable approach of stamping out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But many also think, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be affordable to make it appealing enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting since (some) individuals wouldn't wish to leave an audit path by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who utilize unaccounted cash to position huge bets will never bet legally.

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 however many individuals are included in some sort of gaming - it's still a questionable concern for lots of," states our unnamed punter.

And provided 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 challenging that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having actually been endorsed by an official panel for the very first time, a minimum of a dispute has actually fired up around a topic - which until now was considered a taboo.