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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 press reporter

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

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

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

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

"I believe India is winning, make the change," he tells his bookie on the phone.

And a few minutes later his prediction comes to life, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

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

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

Aside from horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not enabled in India. Despite that, illegal wagering syndicates flourish in the nation.

'Black cash'

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

With no legal avenue, punters put bets using their phones by making calls to . Gamblers can wager on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest specific run scorer.

The majority of these deals include so-called "black money", 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 sports betting, there is absolutely nothing similar here.

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

"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online sports betting," says Mumbai- based lawyer HP Ranina.

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

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting 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 favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to suggest changes in the performance 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.

Two franchises have actually been prohibited for two years after some players and group authorities were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookmakers.

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

Even gamblers feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a relocation in the right direction.

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

It would likewise open a big company opportunity for certified bookies and global online sports betting companies to establish operations in India.

And it would assist limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by assisting make transactions included in sports betting more transparent.

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

But numerous likewise think, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookie will need to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be unlawful wagering since (some) people wouldn't want to leave an audit trail by going into the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who utilize unaccounted cash to position big bets will never ever bet legally.

Approval concern

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

"Although lots of people are involved in some sort of gambling - it's still a questionable problem for lots of," says our unnamed punter.
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And given that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their territory.

"The process is so long and difficult that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this ending up being a reality anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having actually been backed by an official panel for the very first time, a minimum of a debate has actually sparked around a topic - which till now was considered a taboo.