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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
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It is the last over of the cricket match, with India needing 17 runs to win against Australia.

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

He has actually made more than 10 hire the last 30 minutes - not to discuss the match however to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, now 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 tells his bookmaker on the phone.

And a few minutes later his forecast comes to life, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

"I have made $200 today," he states with a childlike glee.
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For more than 3 years he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is illegal in India.

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

'Black cash'

According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's unlawful sports betting wagering market deserves some $150bn a year. And much of that gambling cash is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal opportunity, punters put bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the match, from who is winning to the highest individual run scorer.
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Most of these deals involve so-called "black cash", which is money not declared to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any type of gambling in India, but unlike in the US which has a law restricting internet gaming, there is absolutely nothing similar here.

And offshore sports betting business are utilizing this loophole to lure Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have actually signed up accounts with overseas firms.

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

But despite this, it is "offline gaming", done through call which dominate the marketplace.

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has actually grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, saying it would assist secure down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend changes in the functioning of India's cricket regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League wagering scandal came to light.

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

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

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

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

It would likewise open a substantial company opportunity for licensed bookies and global online sports betting business to establish operations in India.
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And it would assist restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by assisting make transactions included in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work together with sports betting business, you will have a very reliable approach of marking out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

But lots of also believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be prohibited wagering since (some) individuals would not want 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 bet legally.

Approval concern

For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to create a new law, and politically this will be a difficult concept to sell.

"Although lots of people are included in some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial concern for lots of," states 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 in their area.

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

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