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 runs to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom home situated in main Mumbai, a middle-aged male is viewing the game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his right hand.

He has made more than 10 contact the last thirty minutes - not to discuss the match but to keep revising his bet.
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Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, today as the Indian batsman gets prepared to face the last over he's changed his mind.

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

And a few minutes later on his forecast comes to life, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

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

For more than 3 years he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't expose 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, unlawful wagering distributes flourish in the country.

'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 sports betting cash is directed towards cricket.

With no legal opportunity, punters position bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest specific run scorer.

The majority of these transactions include so-called "black cash", which is money not stated to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of gaming in India, but unlike in the US which has a law restricting internet gaming, there is nothing comparable here.

And offshore sports betting companies are using this loophole to lure Indians. Although there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot individuals have signed up accounts with overseas companies.

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

But despite this, it is "offline sports betting", done through telephone call which control the marketplace.

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has actually 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 modifications in the functioning of India's cricket regulatory 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 players and team authorities were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the of bookies.

The panel likewise argues that legalised wagering will bring in tax earnings for the exchequer that might total up to $2bn a year.

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a move in the right instructions.
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"I do not mind paying some cash out my revenues, as long as I can bet publicly," states our cricket gambler.

It would likewise open a big service chance for licensed bookies and global online sports betting companies to establish operations in India.

And it would assist restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by assisting make deals associated with gambling more transparent.

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

But numerous likewise think, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookmaker will have to be sensible to make it attractive enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are restrictions.

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

He adds that individuals who utilize unaccounted cash to place huge bets will never ever bet lawfully.

Approval question

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to produce a new law, and politically this will be a tough idea to sell.

"Despite the fact that lots of people are associated with some sort of sports betting - 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 in their area.
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"The process is so long and tricky that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this ending up being a truth anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having been endorsed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of a debate has ignited around a subject - which previously was thought about a taboo.
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