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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering 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 go to win against Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is watching the game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his best hand.

He has actually made more than 10 calls in the last thirty minutes - not to discuss the match however to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, now as the Indian batsman prepares to deal with the last over he's altered his mind.

"I think India is winning, make the change," he informs his bookie 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 actually made $200 today," he says with a childlike glee.

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

Other than horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, prohibited wagering distributes thrive in the nation.

'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 sports betting cash is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal avenue, punters position bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest individual run scorer.

Most of these deals involve so-called "black money", which is cash not stated to the taxman.
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The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of gambling in India, but unlike in the US which has a law restricting web sports betting, 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 overseas companies.

"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online sports betting," says Mumbai- based lawyer HP Ranina.

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

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has actually grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would help secure down on corruption in the nation's favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest modifications in the performance 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 prohibited for 2 years after some players and group officials were condemned of parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

The panel likewise argues that legalised wagering will generate tax incomes for the exchequer that could amount to $2bn a year.

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

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

It would also open a big business opportunity for certified bookies and international online wagering companies to establish operations in India.

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

"If you work along with sports betting companies, you will have an extremely efficient technique of stamping out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.

But numerous likewise think, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookmaker will need to be affordable to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting because (some) individuals wouldn't desire to leave an audit path by going into the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that individuals who use unaccounted cash to position huge bets will never gamble legally.

Approval concern

For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to develop a brand-new law, and politically this will be a hard concept to sell.

"Even though many individuals are involved in some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial issue for numerous," states our unnamed punter.

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

Yet with the concept having been endorsed by an official panel for the very first time, a minimum of a debate has sparked around a subject - which up until now was considered a taboo.