For Sports Gambling to Be Legalised

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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India

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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 requiring 17 runs to win against Australia.


In his two-bedroom house located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is enjoying the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his ideal 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.


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


"I think India is winning, make the modification," he informs his bookmaker on the phone.


And a few minutes later his forecast becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

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


For more than 3 years 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 wagering of any kind is not enabled in India. Despite that, illegal wagering syndicates thrive in the country.


'Black money'


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 cash is directed towards cricket.


Without any legal avenue, punters put bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest private run scorer.


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


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


And overseas sports betting companies are using this loophole to tempt Indians. Even though there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot individuals have registered accounts with overseas companies.


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


But despite this, it is "offline gambling", done through telephone call which dominate the marketplace.


Require legalisation


The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has 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 favourite sport.


The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest changes 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 gamers and group officials were discovered guilty of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookies.


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


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


"I do not mind paying some cash out my revenues, as long as I can gamble openly," says our cricket gambler.


It would also open a huge company opportunity for certified bookies and international online wagering companies to set up operations in India.


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


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


But many also believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookie will have to be sensible to make it attractive enough for them to gamble legally.


However, there are constraints.


"Definitely there will be illegal wagering due to the fact that (some) people would not wish to leave an audit trail by going into the white market," states Mr Oborne.


He adds that individuals who utilize unaccounted cash to position huge bets will never ever 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 hard concept to sell.


"Even though lots of people are associated with some sort of sports betting - it's still a questionable issue for numerous," states our unnamed punter.


And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to likewise pass a separate law to legalise sports betting gambling in their area.

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"The process is so long and challenging that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this becoming a truth anytime soon."


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

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