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

In his two-bedroom home located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged man is enjoying the video game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his mobile phone glued to his best 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 previously his cash was on Australia, but now as the Indian batsman prepares yourself 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 made $200 today," he states with a childish glee.

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

Other than horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, unlawful wagering syndicates prosper in the nation.

'Black cash'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Require 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 preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest 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 sports betting scandal came to light.

Two franchises have been banned for two years after some players and group authorities were found guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.
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The panel likewise argues that legalised sports betting will generate tax earnings for the exchequer that might amount to $2bn a year.

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

"I do not mind paying some cash out my revenues, as long as I can gamble publicly," states our cricket gambler.

It would likewise open a big organization chance for certified bookmakers and international online sports betting business to establish operations in India.

And it would help limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by make deals associated with gambling more transparent.

"If you work together with wagering business, you will have a really reliable method of marking out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.

But lots of also think, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to bet lawfully.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting due to the fact that (some) people wouldn't wish to leave an audit path by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.

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

Approval question

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

"Even though lots of people are involved in some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial concern for lots of," says our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their area.
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"The procedure is so long and difficult that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this becoming a truth anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having actually been endorsed by a main panel for the first time, at least a dispute has actually fired up around a subject - which until now was thought about a taboo.