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

Published

5 February 2016

Share

close panel

Share page

Copy link

About sharing

By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business reporter

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

In his two-bedroom house located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is viewing the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his best hand.
bet9ja.com
He has actually made more than 10 contact the last 30 minutes - not to go over the match however to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes earlier his cash was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman gets ready to face 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 on 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 childlike glee.

For more than 3 decades he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is unlawful in India.

Besides horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed in India. Despite that, prohibited wagering syndicates prosper in the nation.

'Black cash'

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

With no legal avenue, punters position bets using their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest private run scorer.

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

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any type of sports betting in India, however unlike in the US which has a law forbiding web sports betting, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.

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

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

But regardless of this, it is "offline gambling", done through call which control the marketplace.

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, stating it would assist secure 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 regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League sports betting scandal came to light.

Two franchises have been banned for 2 years after some players and team authorities were condemned of repairing 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 could total up to $2bn a year.

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

"I don't mind paying some cash out my profits, as long as I can gamble publicly," states our cricket bettor.

It would likewise open a huge organization opportunity for licensed bookmakers and worldwide online sports betting business to establish operations in India.

And it would help restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by helping make deals associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside wagering business, you will have a very effective method of marking out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.

But many also believe, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookie will have to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are constraints.

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

He adds that individuals who use unaccounted cash to put huge bets will never ever bet legally.

Approval concern

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to create a new law, and politically this will be a hard concept to offer.

"Although numerous individuals are involved in 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 have to likewise pass a separate law to sports betting in their area.
bet9ja.com
"The procedure is so long and difficult that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this becoming a reality 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 up until now was considered a taboo.
bet9ja.com