For Sports Gambling To Be Legalised

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 press reporter


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


In his two-bedroom house located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged man is viewing the game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his cellphone glued to his right hand.
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He has actually made more than 10 contact the last thirty minutes - not to discuss the match but to keep modifying his bet.
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Five minutes earlier his cash was on Australia, now as the Indian batsman gets to deal with the last over he's changed his mind.


"I believe India is winning, make the modification," he informs his bookie on the phone.
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And a couple of minutes later his prediction comes to life, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.


"I have actually made $200 today," he says with a childlike glee.
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For more than 3 decades 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 enabled in India. Despite that, illegal sports betting syndicates prosper in the nation.


'Black money'


According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's prohibited sports betting 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 bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest private run scorer.


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


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


And offshore wagering companies are utilizing this loophole to draw Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have signed up accounts with overseas firms.


"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online gaming," states Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.


But in spite of this, it is "offline sports betting", done through telephone call which control the market.


Calls for legalisation


The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has actually grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would assist secure down on corruption in the country's favourite sport.


The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend modifications in the functioning of India's cricket regulatory body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League wagering scandal came to light.


Two franchises have actually been prohibited for two years after some gamers and group authorities were condemned of fixing parts of the match at the wish of bookies.


The panel also argues that legalised wagering will bring in tax earnings for the exchequer that could total up to $2bn a year.


Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting is a relocation in the best direction.


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


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


And it would help limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by assisting make transactions included in sports betting more transparent.


"If you work together with wagering business, you will have a really reliable approach of stamping out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.


But lots of likewise believe, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookie will need to be affordable to make it attractive enough for them to bet legally.


However, there are limitations.
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"Definitely there will be prohibited wagering since (some) people wouldn't wish to leave an audit path by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.


He adds that individuals who use unaccounted cash to place huge bets will never gamble legally.


Approval question


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


"Although lots of people are involved in some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial problem for many," says our unnamed punter.
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And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their territory.


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


Yet with the idea having been endorsed by a main panel for the first time, at least a debate has actually fired up around a topic - which previously was considered a taboo.