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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

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 male is seeing the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his best hand.

He has made more than 10 employ the last 30 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 yourself to deal with the last over he's altered his mind.

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

And a couple of minutes later his forecast becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.
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"I have made $200 today," he says with a childish glee.

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

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

'Black money'

According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's prohibited sports betting wagering market deserves 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 bet on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest individual run scorer.

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

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

And overseas wagering companies are utilizing this loophole to draw Indians. Even though there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot people have signed up accounts with overseas firms.

"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online gambling," states Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.

But in spite of this, it is "offline gambling", done through phone calls which control the market.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying it would help secure down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend 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 been banned for 2 years after some gamers and group officials were found guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

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

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

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

It would also open a big organization opportunity for certified bookies and worldwide online sports betting companies to set up operations in India.

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

"If you work along with sports betting companies, you will have a very effective technique of stamping out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

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

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting due to the fact that (some) people would not want to leave an audit path by going into the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that individuals who utilize unaccounted cash to place huge bets will never ever gamble lawfully.
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Approval concern

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

"Even however lots of people are included in some sort of sports betting - it's still a controversial problem for lots of," states our unnamed punter.

And considered 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 negative about this coming true anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having actually been endorsed by an official panel for the very first time, at least a dispute has fired up around a topic - which till now was thought about a taboo.
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