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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India
bet9ja.com
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 home situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged man is seeing the game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his smart phone glued to his right-hand man.

He has made more than 10 calls in the last thirty minutes - not to go over the match but to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes previously his cash 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 modification," he informs his bookmaker on the phone.

And a couple of minutes later on his prediction becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

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

For more than three decades he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is unlawful in India.

Aside from horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not permitted in India. Despite that, unlawful wagering distributes prosper in the country.

'Black money'

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 money is directed towards cricket.

With no legal avenue, punters position bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bet 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 cash", which is money not declared to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any sort of sports betting in India, but unlike in the US which has a law forbiding internet sports betting, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.

And offshore wagering business are using this loophole to entice Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have registered accounts with offshore firms.

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

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

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 idea, saying it would assist clamp down on corruption in the nation's favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend 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.

Two franchises have actually been prohibited for two years after some players and group authorities were discovered guilty of fixing parts of the match at the wish of bookmakers.

The panel also argues that legalised wagering will bring in tax revenues for the exchequer that might amount to $2bn a year.

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

"I don't mind paying some money out my profits, as long as I can gamble publicly," says our cricket gambler.

It would also open a huge organization opportunity for licensed bookies and international online wagering business to set up operations in India.

And it would assist restrict match repairing in and other sports betting, argue numerous, by helping make deals involved in gambling more transparent.

"If you work alongside wagering business, you will have a very reliable approach of stamping out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

But numerous likewise think, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookie will have to be sensible to make it attractive enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting due to the fact that (some) individuals would not wish to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who use unaccounted money to place huge bets will never bet lawfully.

Approval concern

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

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

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to likewise pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their territory.

"The process is so long and challenging that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having been backed by an official panel for the very first time, a minimum of a debate has actually sparked around a subject - which previously was thought about a taboo.