Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India
bit.ly
5 February 2016

By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business reporter

It is the last over of the cricket match, with India requiring 17 runs to win against Australia.
bit.ly
In his two-bedroom home situated in main Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is viewing the video game, nervously. He's on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his mobile phone 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.
bet9ja.com
Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman gets ready to face the last over he's altered his mind.

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

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

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

For more than three years he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't expose 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, illegal wagering syndicates prosper in the nation.

'Black money'
bet9ja.com
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 money is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal avenue, punters put bets using their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bet on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest individual run scorer.

The majority of these deals involve so-called "black money", which is cash not declared to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of gaming in India, but unlike in the US which has a law forbiding web gambling, there is nothing similar here.

And offshore wagering companies are using this loophole to lure Indians. Even though there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot people have registered accounts with offshore companies.

"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is unclear for online sports betting," states Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.

But regardless of this, it is "offline gambling", done through telephone call 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 idea, saying it would help clamp down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to suggest modifications 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 emerged.

Two franchises have been prohibited for two years after some gamers and group officials were discovered guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

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

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

"I do not mind paying some cash out my profits, as long as I can bet openly," says our cricket bettor.

It would likewise open a substantial service chance for certified bookmakers and worldwide online sports betting business to establish operations in India.

And it would assist limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by helping make transactions included in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside wagering business, you will have a very effective technique of marking out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

But numerous also think, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookie will have to be sensible to make it attractive enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting since (some) individuals would not want to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," states Mr Oborne.
bet9ja.com
He includes that people who utilize unaccounted money to put huge bets will never bet lawfully.

Approval question

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to produce a new law, and politically this will be a hard concept to offer.
bit.ly
"Although many individuals are included in some sort of gambling - it's still a questionable concern for many," 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 gambling in their area.
bit.ly
"The procedure is so long and tricky that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having actually been endorsed by an official panel for the very first time, a minimum of a dispute has ignited around a topic - which until now was thought about a taboo.