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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India

5 February 2016

By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business press reporter

It is the last over of the cricket match, with India needing 17 go to win against Australia.
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In his two-bedroom home situated in main Mumbai, a middle-aged male is watching the video game, nervously. He's resting 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 contact the last 30 minutes - not to discuss the match however to keep revising his bet.

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

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

And a few minutes later on his forecast comes true, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

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

For more than 3 years he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is prohibited in India.

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

'Black cash'

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.
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With no legal avenue, 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 private run scorer.

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

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any sort of gaming in India, but unlike in the US which has a law restricting web gambling, there is nothing similar here.

And offshore sports betting companies are using this loophole to entice Indians. Even though there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot individuals have signed up accounts with offshore companies.

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

But despite this, it is "offline sports betting", done through phone calls which dominate the marketplace.

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has actually grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying it would assist clamp down on corruption in the nation's preferred 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 sports betting scandal emerged.
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Two franchises have been banned for two years after some players and team authorities were found guilty of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

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

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting is a move in the ideal instructions.
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"I don't mind paying some cash out my profits, as long as I can gamble openly," states our cricket bettor.

It would also open a huge service chance for certified bookies and worldwide online sports betting companies to set up operations in India.

And it would help limit match in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by assisting make transactions associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work along with wagering companies, you will have an extremely effective approach of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

But many likewise think, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are constraints.

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

He adds that individuals who use unaccounted money to place huge bets will never gamble lawfully.

Approval concern
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For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to develop 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 sports betting - it's still a questionable problem for many," states our unnamed punter.
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And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their area.

"The procedure is so long and tricky that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this ending up being a reality anytime soon."

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