Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India
Published
5 February 2016
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By Sameer Hashmi
Mumbai Business reporter
It is the last over of the cricket match, with India requiring 17 runs to win against Australia.
In his two-bedroom home situated in main Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is seeing the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his right hand.
He has actually made more than 10 calls in the last 30 minutes - not to go over the match however to keep modifying his bet.
Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, now as the Indian batsman prepares to face the last over he's altered his mind.
"I think India is winning, make the modification," he tells his bookmaker on the phone.
And a couple of minutes later on his prediction comes real, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.
"I have made $200 today," he says with a childish glee.
For more than three years he's been sports betting on cricket matches. We can't reveal 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, prohibited wagering syndicates thrive in the country.
'Black money'

According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's unlawful 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 bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest individual 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 kind of sports betting in India, but unlike in the US which has a law forbiding web gaming, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.
And overseas sports betting business are using this loophole to lure Indians. Even though there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot individuals have signed up accounts with offshore companies.
"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is uncertain for online sports betting," says Mumbai- based lawyer HP Ranina.
But regardless of this, it is "offline gambling", done through telephone call which control the market.
Require legalisation
The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, stating it would assist clamp down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.
The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend changes in the performance of India's cricket regulatory body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League wagering scandal emerged.
Two franchises have been banned for 2 years after some gamers and team authorities were discovered guilty of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookmakers.
The panel also argues that legalised sports betting will generate tax earnings for the exchequer that might amount to $2bn a year.
Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting is a relocation in the best instructions.
"I don't mind paying some money out my earnings, as long as I can gamble publicly," states our cricket gambler.
It would also open a huge business opportunity for certified bookmakers and global online sports betting business to set up operations in India.
And it would help limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by assisting make transactions associated with sports betting more transparent.
"If you work along with wagering companies, you will have an extremely reliable method of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock betting website, India Bet.

But lots of also think, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookie will have to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.
However, there are restrictions.
"Definitely there will be illegal wagering since (some) people would not desire to leave an audit trail by going into the white market," says Mr Oborne.
He adds that people who use unaccounted cash to put huge bets will never ever bet lawfully.
Approval concern
For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to create a brand-new law, and politically this will be a tough idea to offer.
"Despite the fact that many individuals are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial issue for lots of," states our unnamed punter.
And provided that India has a federal structural - each state will need to likewise pass a separate law to legalise sports betting gambling in their territory.
"The procedure is so long and difficult that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime quickly."
Yet with the idea having actually been backed by a main panel for the very first time, at least an argument has sparked around a topic - which until now was thought about a taboo.