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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 versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged man is seeing the video game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his cellphone glued to his right-hand man.

He has made more than 10 calls in the last thirty minutes - not to go over the match but to keep modifying his bet.

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

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

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

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

For more than three years he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is unlawful in India.

Other than horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed 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 wagering market is worth some $150bn a year. And much of that sports betting money is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal opportunity, punters place bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest specific run scorer.

The majority of these transactions involve so-called "black money", which is cash not stated to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any kind of gaming in India, however unlike in the US which has a law prohibiting web gaming, there is absolutely nothing similar here.

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

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

But despite this, it is "offline gaming", done through phone calls which dominate the marketplace.

Require 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 help secure down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest 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 sports betting scandal emerged.

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

The panel also argues that legalised sports betting will generate tax revenues for the exchequer that might total up to $2bn a year.

Even gamblers feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a relocation in the right direction.

"I do not mind paying some money out my earnings, as long as I can gamble openly," says our cricket bettor.

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

And it would assist limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by helping make transactions associated with gambling more transparent.

"If you work alongside sports betting companies, you will have an extremely effective method of stamping out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.

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

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be unlawful wagering because (some) individuals would not wish to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

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

Approval question

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to produce a brand-new law, and politically this will be a tough idea to sell.

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

And given that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their territory.

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

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