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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 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 house located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is watching the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour sofa 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 but to keep modifying his bet.
Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, however now as the Indian batsman prepares to deal with 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.
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"I have actually made $200 today," he states with a childlike glee.
For more than three decades he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is prohibited in India.
Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed in India. Despite that, prohibited wagering distributes flourish in the country.
'Black money'
According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's prohibited sports betting market deserves some $150bn a year. And much of that gambling cash is directed towards cricket.
Without any legal avenue, place bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest individual run scorer.
Most of these transactions include so-called "black money", which is money not declared to the taxman.
The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of sports betting in India, but unlike in the US which has a law prohibiting web gaming, there is nothing similar here.
And overseas sports betting companies are using this loophole to tempt Indians. Although there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot people have actually registered accounts with offshore firms.
"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is uncertain for online sports betting," states Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.
But despite this, it is "offline sports betting", done through phone calls which dominate the marketplace.
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Calls for legalisation
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The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would help clamp down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.
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The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established 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 came to light.
Two franchises have actually been prohibited for 2 years after some gamers and group authorities were discovered guilty of repairing parts of the match at the wish of bookmakers.
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 wagering is a move in the right direction.
"I don't mind paying some cash out my earnings, as long as I can bet openly," states our cricket gambler.
It would also open a huge service opportunity for licensed bookmakers and global online wagering business to establish operations in India.
And it would help limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by assisting make deals associated with sports betting more transparent.
"If you work along with sports betting business, you will have an extremely efficient method of marking out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.
But numerous likewise believe, that the taxes levied on the gambler and the bookie will need to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to bet lawfully.
However, there are constraints.
"Definitely there will be illegal wagering since (some) people wouldn't wish to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," states Mr Oborne.
He adds that individuals who use unaccounted cash to position big bets will never ever bet lawfully.
Approval question
For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to develop a brand-new law, and politically this will be a hard concept to sell.
"Even however lots of individuals are included in some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial problem for numerous," 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 gambling in their area.
"The process is so long and tricky 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 actually been backed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of a debate has ignited around a topic - which until now was thought about a taboo.
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For Sports Gambling to Be Legalised
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