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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 go to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged man is viewing the video game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his cellphone glued to his right-hand man.

He has made more than 10 employ 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 to face the last over he's altered his mind.

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

And a few minutes later his prediction becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

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

For more than 3 years he's been banking on . We can't expose his name as what he's doing is illegal in India.

Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed in India. Despite that, prohibited wagering syndicates grow in the nation.

'Black money'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has actually grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would assist clamp down on corruption in the nation's favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up 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 emerged.
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Two franchises have been banned for 2 years after some gamers and group authorities were found guilty of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

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

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a relocation in the best instructions.

"I don't mind paying some cash out my revenues, as long as I can bet openly," states our cricket bettor.

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

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

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

But lots of likewise think, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookie will have to be reasonable to make it attractive enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be prohibited wagering because (some) individuals wouldn't wish to leave an audit trail by going into the white market," says Mr Oborne.

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

Approval concern

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to develop a new law, and politically this will be a difficult idea to sell.
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"Although lots of people are associated with some sort of gambling - it's still a questionable issue for many," states our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their area.

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

Yet with the concept having actually been endorsed by a main panel for the very first time, at least a debate has fired up around a topic - which previously was thought about a taboo.
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