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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 press reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more than three decades he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't expose 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, prohibited wagering distributes flourish in the nation.

'Black money'

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

With no legal avenue, punters position bets utilizing 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.

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

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any sort of sports betting in India, however unlike in the US which has a law forbiding internet gaming, there is nothing similar here.

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

"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is unclear for online gaming," states Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.

But regardless of this, it is "offline gambling", done through telephone call which dominate the market.

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting 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 country's favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest 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 emerged.

Two franchises have actually been prohibited for two years after some gamers and group authorities were found guilty of fixing parts of the match at the wish of bookmakers.

The panel also argues that legalised wagering will bring in tax incomes for the exchequer that might amount to $2bn a year.

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

"I do not mind paying some money out my revenues, as long as I can gamble openly," says our cricket bettor.

It would also open a huge company chance for licensed bookies and worldwide online wagering business to establish operations in India.

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

"If you work together with sports betting companies, you will have a very efficient method of marking out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.

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

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be illegal wagering because (some) individuals wouldn't desire to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who use unaccounted money to position huge bets will never ever bet legally.

Approval question

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

"Even though lots of people are associated with some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial problem for many," says our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to likewise pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their territory.
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"The process is so long and difficult that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime soon."

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