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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 needing 17 runs to win against Australia.

In his two-bedroom house situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is seeing the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his right-hand man.

He has made more than 10 hire the last thirty minutes - not to discuss the match however to keep modifying his bet.
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Five minutes earlier his cash was on Australia, however now as the Indian batsman prepares to deal with the last over he's changed his mind.

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

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

"I have actually made $200 today," he states with a childish 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 illegal in India.

Besides horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, prohibited sports betting syndicates thrive in the country.

'Black cash'

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

Without any legal avenue, punters place bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest private run scorer.

The majority of these deals involve so-called "black money", which is money not stated 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 internet sports betting, there is nothing similar here.

And offshore sports betting business are utilizing 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 companies.

"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is uncertain for online gaming," states Mumbai- based attorney HP Ranina.

But despite this, it is "offline sports betting", done through phone calls which dominate the market.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would help secure down on corruption in the country'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 emerged.

Two franchises have been banned for two 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 wagering will bring in tax incomes for the exchequer that might amount to $2bn a year.

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

"I don't mind paying some cash out my revenues, as long as I can gamble publicly," says our cricket gambler.

It would likewise open a huge company opportunity for certified bookies and international online wagering business to set up operations in India.

And it would assist limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by assisting make transactions associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work along with wagering business, you will have a really reliable technique of stamping out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

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

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be unlawful wagering because (some) people would not desire to leave an audit path by going into the white market," says Mr Oborne.
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He includes that individuals who utilize unaccounted money to put huge bets will never ever bet lawfully.

Approval question

For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to develop a new law, and politically this will be a difficult concept to offer.

"Despite the fact that many individuals are involved in some sort of gambling - it's still a questionable problem for lots of," says our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will have 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 idea having actually been backed by an official panel for the first time, a minimum of a dispute has actually fired up around a subject - which up until now was considered a taboo.
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