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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 against Australia.

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

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

Five minutes earlier his cash was on Australia, but now as the Indian batsman gets prepared to deal with the last over he's altered his mind.

"I think India is winning, make the change," he informs his bookmaker on the phone.

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

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

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

Aside from horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, illegal wagering distributes flourish in the country.

'Black money'

According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's unlawful sports betting market is worth some $150bn a year. And much of that sports betting money is directed towards cricket.
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With no legal opportunity, punters put 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 highest private run scorer.

Most of these transactions involve so-called "black cash", which is cash not stated to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of sports betting in India, but unlike in the US which has a law prohibiting web gaming, there is nothing similar here.

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

"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is uncertain for online gaming," says Mumbai- based lawyer HP Ranina.

But in spite of this, it is "offline sports betting", done through telephone call which dominate the marketplace.

Require legalisation

The to legalise sports betting in cricket has actually grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying 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 functioning of India's cricket regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League sports betting scandal emerged.

Two franchises have been banned for two years after some players and team officials were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookies.

The panel also argues that legalised wagering will generate 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 do not mind paying some money out my earnings, as long as I can gamble openly," says our cricket gambler.

It would likewise open a huge organization opportunity for certified bookies and international online wagering business to set up operations in India.

And it would assist limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by assisting make transactions associated with gambling more transparent.

"If you work together with sports betting business, you will have a really effective approach of marking out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

But numerous likewise believe, that the taxes levied on the gambler and the bookie will have to be affordable to make it attractive enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting because (some) people would not desire to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," states Mr Oborne.

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

Approval question
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For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to create a new law, and politically this will be a hard concept to offer.

"Even however lots of people are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a questionable problem for many," states our unnamed punter.

And given that India has a federal structural - each state will need to likewise pass a separate law to legalise sports betting gambling in their area.

"The procedure is so long and challenging that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime soon."

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