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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 against Australia.

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

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

Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, today as the Indian batsman prepares yourself 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 couple of minutes later his prediction becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

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

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

Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not permitted in India. Despite that, illegal sports betting distributes thrive in the nation.

'Black cash'

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

With no legal opportunity, punters place bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bet on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest private run scorer.

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

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

And offshore sports betting business are using this loophole to lure Indians. Although there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot people have actually registered accounts with overseas firms.

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

But despite this, it is "offline gambling", done through telephone call which dominate the marketplace.

Require legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to suggest 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 sports betting scandal emerged.

Two franchises have been prohibited for 2 years after some players and group officials were condemned of fixing parts of the match at the wish of bookies.

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

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

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

It would also open a substantial service opportunity for licensed bookmakers and international online wagering companies to set up operations in India.

And it would help limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by assisting make deals included in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside wagering companies, you will have a very effective method of stamping out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But lots of also believe, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookie will have to be affordable to make it appealing enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be prohibited wagering due to the fact that (some) people would not want to leave an audit path by entering the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who use unaccounted cash to place big bets will never gamble legally.

Approval concern

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

"Although lots of people are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial concern for many," states our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to likewise pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their territory.

"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 quickly."

Yet with the concept having been backed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of an argument has sparked around a topic - which previously was thought about a taboo.
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