For Sports Gambling to Be Legalised
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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 needing 17 runs to win versus Australia.
In his two-bedroom house located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged man is watching the video game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his right hand.
He has actually made more than 10 employ the last 30 minutes - not to talk about the match however to keep revising his bet.
Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, but now as the Indian batsman prepares yourself to face the last over he's his mind.
"I think India is winning, make the change," he informs his bookmaker on the phone.
And a few minutes later on his prediction comes real, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.
"I have made $200 today," he states with a childlike glee.
For more than three years he's been sports betting on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is prohibited in India.
Other than horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, prohibited sports betting syndicates flourish in the country.
'Black cash'
According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's illegal sports betting wagering market deserves some $150bn a year. And much of that gambling cash is directed towards cricket.
Without any legal avenue, punters place bets using their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can wager on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest specific run scorer.
The majority of these transactions include so-called "black money", which is money not stated to the taxman.
The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of gambling in India, however unlike in the US which has a law prohibiting web sports betting, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.
And overseas sports betting companies are using this loophole to draw Indians. Although there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot individuals have actually registered accounts with overseas firms.
"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is unclear for online sports betting," says Mumbai- based lawyer HP Ranina.
But regardless of this, it is "offline gambling", done through phone calls which dominate the marketplace.
Calls for legalisation
The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would assist clamp down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.
The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up 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 wagering scandal emerged.
Two franchises have been prohibited for two years after some gamers and group officials were discovered guilty of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookmakers.
The panel likewise argues that legalised wagering will generate tax earnings for the exchequer that might total up to $2bn a year.
Even gamblers feel that legalising sports betting is a move in the right direction.
"I don't mind paying some cash out my profits, as long as I can bet openly," states our cricket bettor.
It would likewise open a substantial service chance for licensed bookmakers and international online wagering business to establish operations in India.
And it would assist limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by helping make deals involved in sports betting more transparent.
"If you work alongside 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 many also 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 restrictions.
"Definitely there will be illegal wagering since (some) people would not want to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," states Mr Oborne.
He adds that individuals who use unaccounted money to put huge bets will never ever gamble lawfully.
Approval concern
For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to create a new law, and politically this will be a difficult idea to sell.
"Even though many individuals are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial concern for numerous," says 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 in their area.
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"The process is so long and challenging that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime quickly."
Yet with the idea having been backed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of a dispute has actually ignited around a topic - which till now was thought about a taboo.
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