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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering 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 against Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is seeing the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his smart phone glued to his ideal hand.

He has made more than 10 calls in the last 30 minutes - not to go over the match but to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, but now as the Indian batsman prepares yourself to deal with the last over he's changed his mind.
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"I believe India is winning, make the modification," he informs his bookmaker on the phone.

And a couple of minutes later his forecast comes to life, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

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

For more than three decades he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is illegal in India.
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Aside from horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, illegal sports betting syndicates grow in the country.

'Black money'

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 sports betting money is directed towards cricket.

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

Most of these transactions include so-called "black money", which is money not stated to the taxman.

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

And offshore sports betting companies are using this loophole to tempt Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have 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 despite this, it is "offline sports betting", done through telephone call which control the market.

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has actually grown after a panel designated 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 actually been prohibited for 2 years after some players and group officials were found guilty of repairing parts of the match at the request of .

The panel likewise argues that legalised sports betting will generate tax incomes for the exchequer that could amount to $2bn a year.

Even gamblers feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a relocation in the right instructions.

"I don't mind paying some money out my earnings, as long as I can bet openly," states our cricket gambler.

It would likewise open a huge service chance for licensed bookies and global online sports betting companies to set up operations in India.

And it would assist limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by assisting make deals included in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside wagering business, you will have an extremely efficient technique of marking out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.

But many likewise believe, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookmaker will need to be sensible to make it attractive enough for them to bet lawfully.

However, there are constraints.

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

He includes that people who utilize unaccounted money to put huge bets will never gamble lawfully.

Approval concern

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

"Even though many individuals are included in some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial problem for many," states our unnamed punter.

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will have 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," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having actually been backed by a main panel for the very first time, at least a dispute has fired up around a topic - which up until now was thought about a taboo.