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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India

5 February 2016

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 main Mumbai, a middle-aged man is enjoying the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his smart phone glued to his right hand.
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He has actually made more than 10 calls in the last 30 minutes - not to talk about the match however 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.
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"I believe India is winning, make the change," he tells his bookie on the phone.
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And a couple of minutes later his forecast comes to life, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

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

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

Besides horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, unlawful wagering distributes flourish in the country.

'Black cash'

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 is directed towards cricket.

With no legal avenue, punters place bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can wager on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest individual run scorer.

The majority of these deals involve 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 prohibiting internet sports betting, there is nothing similar here.
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And offshore sports betting 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 unclear for online sports betting," states Mumbai- based lawyer HP Ranina.

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

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel designated by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, stating it would help clamp down on corruption in the nation's favourite sport.
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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 came to light.

Two franchises have been prohibited for 2 years after some gamers and group officials were condemned of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

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

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

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

It would also open a substantial business opportunity for certified bookmakers and international online sports betting business to set up operations in India.

And it would assist limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by assisting make transactions associated with gambling more transparent.

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

But lots of also believe, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookmaker will need to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to gamble legally.
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However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be illegal wagering since (some) individuals wouldn't wish to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who use unaccounted cash to put big bets will never gamble 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 idea to offer.
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"Even though many individuals are included in some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial problem for lots of," says our unnamed punter.

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

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

Yet with the concept having actually been backed by a main panel for the first time, a minimum of an argument has ignited around a topic - which till now was thought about a taboo.