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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India

5 February 2016

By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business reporter

It is the last over of the cricket match, with India requiring 17 go to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is watching the game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his smart phone glued to his right-hand man.

He has actually made more than 10 contact the last 30 minutes - not to discuss the match however to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes earlier his cash was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman prepares yourself to face the last over he's altered his mind.

"I think India is winning, make the change," he tells his bookmaker on the phone.

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

"I have actually made $200 today," he says with a childish glee.
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For more than three decades he's been sports betting on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is unlawful in India.

Aside from horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, illegal wagering syndicates grow in the country.

'Black cash'

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

Without any legal avenue, punters position bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bet on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest specific run scorer.

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

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

And overseas wagering companies are utilizing this loophole to draw Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have actually signed up accounts with offshore companies.

"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is uncertain for online gaming," says Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.
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But despite this, it is "offline sports betting", done through phone calls which dominate the marketplace.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting 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 preferred 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 been prohibited for 2 years after some gamers and group authorities were condemned of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

The panel likewise 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 is a move in the best instructions.
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"I don't mind paying some money out my revenues, as long as I can bet openly," states our cricket bettor.

It would likewise open a big service opportunity for certified bookmakers and worldwide online wagering companies to establish operations in India.

And it would help restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by helping make deals associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work together with sports betting business, you will have a very effective method of stamping out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

But lots of also believe, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookmaker will need to be sensible to make it attractive enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting since (some) people would not desire to leave an audit trail by going into the white market," says Mr Oborne.

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

Approval question
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For to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to create a new law, and politically this will be a difficult idea to offer.

"Although many individuals are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a questionable issue for numerous," states 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 in their area.

"The process is so long and challenging 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, at least a debate has actually ignited around a topic - which up until now was considered a taboo.