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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

It is the last over of the cricket match, with India requiring 17 go to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is viewing 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 made more than 10 contact the last 30 minutes - not to go over the match but to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman gets prepared to deal with the last over he's changed his mind.

"I think India is winning, make the change," he informs his bookie on the phone.

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

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

For more than 3 decades he's been sports betting on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is prohibited in India.

Aside from horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, unlawful sports betting in the nation.

'Black cash'

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 sports betting money is directed towards cricket.

With no legal avenue, punters put bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bet on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest specific run scorer.

Most of these deals involve so-called "black cash", which is cash 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 prohibiting internet gambling, there is absolutely nothing similar here.

And offshore wagering 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 offshore companies.

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

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

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel designated by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying it would assist clamp down on corruption in the country's favourite sport.
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The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend changes in the functioning of India's cricket regulatory body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League wagering scandal emerged.

Two franchises have actually been prohibited for two years after some players and group authorities were found guilty 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 total up to $2bn a year.

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

"I do not mind paying some money out my earnings, as long as I can gamble openly," states our cricket gambler.

It would also open a huge organization opportunity for certified bookies and worldwide online sports betting business to establish operations in India.

And it would assist restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by assisting make transactions associated with gambling more transparent.

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

But many likewise think, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookmaker will have to be reasonable to make it attractive enough for them to bet lawfully.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be prohibited wagering due to the fact that (some) people wouldn't want to leave an audit path by going into the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who utilize unaccounted cash to put big bets will never gamble legally.

Approval concern

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to develop a new law, and politically this will be a difficult idea to offer.

"Despite the fact that lots of people are included in some sort of sports betting - it's still a questionable issue for numerous," states our unnamed punter.

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

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