For Sports Gambling To Be Legalised

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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 press reporter


It is the last over of the cricket match, with India needing 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 sofa with his mobile phone glued to his right-hand man.


He has made more than 10 contact the last thirty minutes - not to talk about the match but to keep revising his bet.
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Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman prepares to face the last over he's changed his mind.


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


And a few minutes later on his prediction comes true, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.


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


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


Aside from horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not permitted in India. Despite that, unlawful wagering syndicates grow in the country.


'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.


Without any legal avenue, punters place bets using their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can wager on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest specific run scorer.


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


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


And overseas wagering companies are using this loophole to draw Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot individuals have actually registered accounts with offshore firms.


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


But regardless of this, it is "offline sports betting", done through call which dominate the marketplace.


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, saying it would help secure down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.


The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest modifications 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 two years after some players and group officials were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the wish of bookmakers.


The panel also argues that legalised wagering will generate tax profits for the exchequer that could amount to $2bn a year.


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


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


It would likewise open a substantial business chance for licensed bookies and global online wagering business to establish operations in India.


And it would assist restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by assisting make transactions included in gambling more transparent.
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"If you work together with wagering business, you will have a really effective approach of marking out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.


But lots of likewise believe, that the taxes levied on the gambler and the bookie will have to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.


However, there are limitations.


"Definitely there will be illegal wagering because (some) people would not desire to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.


He adds that individuals who utilize unaccounted money to put huge bets will never ever gamble lawfully.


Approval concern


For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary will be needed to create a new law, and politically this will be a tough idea to offer.


"Although many individuals are associated with some sort of sports betting - it's still a questionable issue for numerous," states our unnamed punter.


And considered 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 coming true anytime quickly."


Yet with the concept having actually been endorsed by an official panel for the first time, at least a dispute has actually fired up around a subject - which up until now was thought about a taboo.