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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering 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 requiring 17 runs to win against Australia.

In his two-bedroom home located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is seeing 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 contact the last 30 minutes - not to discuss the match however to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, now as the Indian batsman prepares to face the last over he's changed his mind.

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

And a couple of minutes later on his forecast 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 reveal his name as what he's doing is illegal in India.

Aside from horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, prohibited wagering syndicates 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 cash is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal avenue, punters place 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 highest run scorer.

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

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

And offshore wagering companies are using this loophole to tempt Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot people have actually signed up accounts with offshore firms.

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

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

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 help secure down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend changes 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 came to light.

Two franchises have actually been prohibited for two years after some players and group officials were found guilty of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

The panel likewise argues that legalised wagering will generate tax profits for the exchequer that might total up to $2bn a year.

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a move in the right instructions.

"I do not mind paying some money out my earnings, as long as I can bet openly," states our cricket gambler.

It would also open a big organization chance for certified bookmakers and international online wagering companies to set up operations in India.

And it would help restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by helping make transactions associated with gambling more transparent.

"If you work along with wagering business, you will have an extremely efficient technique of marking out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

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

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting because (some) individuals would not want to leave an audit path by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.

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

Approval question

For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to develop a new law, and politically this will be a difficult idea to offer.

"Even however numerous people are involved in some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial concern for numerous," states our unnamed punter.

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their territory.
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"The process is so long and challenging that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this becoming a reality anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having been endorsed by a main panel for the first time, a minimum of an argument has fired up around a topic - which previously was thought about a taboo.