For Sports Gambling To Be Legalised

Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India


Published


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 situated in main Mumbai, a middle-aged man is enjoying the game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his right hand.


He has actually made more than 10 hire the last 30 minutes - not to discuss the match but to keep modifying his bet.


Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, however now as the Indian batsman prepares yourself to deal with the last over he's altered his mind.


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


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


"I have made $200 today," he states with a childish glee.
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For more than three decades he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is illegal in India.


Aside from horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, illegal sports betting syndicates thrive in the country.


'Black money'


According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's prohibited sports betting wagering market deserves some $150bn a year. And much of that sports betting money is directed towards cricket.


Without any legal avenue, punters position 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 greatest private run scorer.
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Most of these deals involve so-called "black money", which is money not stated to the taxman.


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


And offshore wagering companies are utilizing this loophole to tempt Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online wagering 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 ambiguous for online sports betting," says Mumbai- based attorney HP Ranina.
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But in spite of this, it is "offline sports betting", done through phone calls which dominate the marketplace.


Require legalisation


The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has actually grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying it would help clamp down on corruption in the country's favourite sport.


The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established 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 wagering scandal came to light.


Two franchises have been banned for 2 years after some gamers and team authorities were found guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.


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


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


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


It would also open a huge company opportunity for certified bookies and international 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 transactions associated with gambling more transparent.


"If you work along with sports betting business, you will have an extremely reliable technique of stamping out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.


But lots of likewise think, that the taxes levied on the gambler and the bookie will have to be sensible to make it attractive enough for them to bet lawfully.


However, there are constraints.


"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting because (some) people wouldn't wish to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," states Mr Oborne.


He includes that people who utilize unaccounted cash to place huge bets will never gamble lawfully.


Approval concern


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


"Although many individuals are involved in some sort of sports betting - it's still a questionable concern for lots of," states our unnamed punter.


And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to likewise pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their territory.
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"The procedure is so long and difficult that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this becoming a reality anytime soon."


Yet with the idea having actually been endorsed by a main panel for the first time, a minimum of a dispute has actually fired up around a topic - which until now was considered a taboo.