bet9ja.com
Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India
bet9ja.com
Published

5 February 2016

Share

close panel

Share page

Copy link

About sharing

By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business press reporter

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

In his two-bedroom house situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is viewing the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his right-hand man.

He has actually made more than 10 calls in the last 30 minutes - not to talk about the match however to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, but now as the Indian batsman gets all set to deal with the last over he's changed his mind.

"I believe India is winning, make the change," he tells his bookmaker 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 actually made $200 today," he says with a childlike glee.

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

Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not enabled in India. Despite that, unlawful sports betting syndicates prosper in the country.

'Black cash'

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

Without any legal opportunity, 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.

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

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any sort of sports betting in India, however unlike in the US which has a law restricting internet sports betting, there is nothing comparable here.

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

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

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

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend modifications in the performance of India's cricket regulatory body, the Board of Control for in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League sports betting scandal came to light.

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

The panel also argues that legalised sports betting will generate tax profits for the exchequer that might total up to $2bn a year.

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

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

It would likewise open a huge organization chance for certified bookmakers and international online sports betting business to establish operations in India.

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

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

But numerous likewise believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookmaker will have to be reasonable to make it attractive enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting due to the fact that (some) individuals would not wish to leave an audit trail by going into the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who use unaccounted money to place huge bets will never ever gamble lawfully.

Approval concern

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to produce a brand-new law, and politically this will be a tough concept to sell.

"Even though many individuals are associated with some sort of sports betting - it's still a questionable problem for numerous," says our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their territory.

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

Yet with the concept having been endorsed by a main panel for the very first time, at least an argument has ignited around a topic - which previously was thought about a taboo.
bet9ja.com