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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India
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5 February 2016

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By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business reporter

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

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

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

Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, however now as the Indian batsman gets ready to face the last over he's altered 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 comes true, 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 wagering 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 enabled in India. Despite that, unlawful wagering distributes grow 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 money is directed towards cricket.

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

Most 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 gaming in India, but unlike in the US which has a law prohibiting web sports betting, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.

And offshore sports betting business are using 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 firms.

"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online sports betting," states Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.
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But despite this, it is "offline gaming", done through telephone call which dominate the market.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, saying it would assist secure down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established 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 actually been banned for 2 years after some gamers and group officials were discovered guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

The panel also argues that legalised sports betting will bring in tax profits for the exchequer that could total up to $2bn a year.

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

"I don't mind paying some money out my revenues, as long as I can gamble publicly," states our cricket bettor.

It would also open a big organization chance for licensed bookmakers and global online wagering companies to establish operations in India.

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

"If you work together with wagering companies, you will have a very efficient approach of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But lots of likewise believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are constraints.

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

He adds that people who utilize unaccounted cash to position huge bets will never bet lawfully.

Approval question
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For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to develop a brand-new law, and politically this will be a tough concept to offer.

"Despite the fact that many individuals are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a questionable concern for lots of," states our unnamed punter.

And provided that India has a federal structural - each state will have to likewise pass a separate law to gambling in their area.
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"The procedure is so long and difficult that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this ending up being a truth anytime soon."

Yet with the idea having been backed by a main panel for the very first time, at least a debate has actually ignited around a subject - which up until now was thought about a taboo.
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