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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 reporter

It is the last over of the cricket match, with India needing 17 runs to win versus Australia.
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In his two-bedroom home situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is seeing the video game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his mobile phone glued to his right-hand man.

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

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

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

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

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

For more than three years he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is illegal in India.

Other than horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, unlawful wagering syndicates thrive in the nation.

'Black money'

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.

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

The majority of these deals involve so-called "black money", which is money not stated to the taxman.
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The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of gambling in India, however unlike in the US which has a law prohibiting web gaming, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.

And overseas wagering business are utilizing this loophole to entice Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have actually signed up accounts with offshore companies.

"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online gaming," says Mumbai- based attorney HP Ranina.
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But despite this, it is "offline gaming", done through telephone call 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 concept, stating it would assist clamp down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest 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 came to light.

Two franchises have been banned for 2 years after some players and group officials were found guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

The panel also argues that legalised sports betting will generate tax revenues for the exchequer that could amount to $2bn a year.

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

"I do not mind paying some cash out my profits, as long as I can gamble publicly," says our cricket bettor.

It would likewise open a substantial service chance for licensed bookmakers and worldwide online sports betting companies to establish operations in India.

And it would assist restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by helping make deals associated with gambling more transparent.
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"If you work together with sports betting business, you will have an extremely effective method of stamping out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But many also think, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be illegal wagering due to the fact that (some) people would not desire to leave an audit path by going into the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who use unaccounted money to put huge bets will never gamble legally.

Approval concern

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to create a brand-new law, and this will be a hard idea to offer.

"Although many individuals are associated with some sort of sports betting - it's still a controversial issue for numerous," states our unnamed punter.

And provided that India has a federal structural - each state will have to likewise pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their area.

"The procedure is so long and tricky that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this becoming a truth anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having been backed by an official panel for the very first time, at least an argument has actually fired up around a topic - which until now was considered a taboo.