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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 press reporter

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

In his two-bedroom home located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is seeing the video game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his right-hand man.

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

Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, however 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 few minutes later his forecast comes to life, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

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

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

Other than horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not permitted in India. Despite that, prohibited sports betting distributes prosper in the nation.

'Black money'

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

With no legal avenue, punters put bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest 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 sort of gambling in India, but unlike in the US which has a law prohibiting internet gaming, there is absolutely nothing similar here.

And overseas wagering business are utilizing this loophole to tempt Indians. Even though there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot people have actually registered accounts with offshore companies.

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

But regardless of this, it is "offline gaming", done through call which control the market.

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established 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 came to light.

Two franchises have actually been banned for two years after some gamers and team authorities were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

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

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

"I don't mind paying some money out my revenues, as long as I can gamble publicly," states our cricket bettor.

It would also open a substantial service chance for licensed bookies and international online wagering business to establish operations in India.

And it would assist restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by helping make transactions associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside wagering business, you will have an extremely efficient approach of stamping out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.

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

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting due to the fact that (some) people wouldn't wish to leave an audit path by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

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

Approval question

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

"Despite the fact that lots of people are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial concern 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 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 ending up being a truth anytime soon."

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