Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India
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Published

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 runs to win against Australia.

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

He has made more than 10 calls in the last 30 minutes - not to go over the match however to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, today as the Indian batsman prepares yourself to face the last over he's changed his mind.

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

And a few minutes later his prediction comes true, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

"I have made $200 today," he says with a childlike glee.
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For more than 3 years he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is prohibited in India.

Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not enabled in India. Despite that, illegal wagering syndicates flourish 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 sports betting cash is directed towards cricket.

With no legal opportunity, punters put bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. can wager on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest private run scorer.

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

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any sort of gambling in India, but unlike in the US which has a law forbiding internet gambling, there is absolutely nothing similar here.

And overseas wagering companies are utilizing this loophole to tempt Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online sports betting 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 ambiguous for online sports betting," states Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.

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

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has actually grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would help secure down on corruption in the country's preferred 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 actually been prohibited for two years after some gamers and team officials were discovered guilty of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

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

Even gamblers feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a relocation in the best instructions.

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

It would also open a big company chance for certified bookmakers and global online sports betting business to establish operations in India.

And it would assist limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by helping make deals included in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work along with sports betting business, you will have a really efficient approach of marking out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But many likewise believe, that the taxes levied on the gambler and the bookmaker will have to be affordable to make it appealing enough for them to bet lawfully.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting due to the fact that (some) individuals wouldn't want to leave an audit path by going into the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who utilize unaccounted cash to place big bets will never bet legally.

Approval question

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

"Even though lots of people are involved in some sort of sports betting - 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 separate law to legalise sports betting gambling in their territory.
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"The procedure is so long and difficult that it will take years," states 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 first time, at least a dispute has actually sparked around a subject - which previously was thought about a taboo.