1 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 go to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is watching the video game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his smart phone glued to his right-hand man.

He has made more than 10 employ the last 30 minutes - not to talk about the match however to keep revising his bet.

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

"I think India is winning, make the change," he tells his bookie on the phone.

And a few minutes later his forecast comes to life, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

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

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

Other than horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, prohibited wagering distributes flourish in the nation.

'Black cash'

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

Without any legal opportunity, punters put bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bet on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest 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 gambling in India, but unlike in the US which has a law restricting web gambling, there is nothing comparable here.

And offshore sports betting companies are utilizing this loophole to draw Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have registered accounts with overseas firms.

"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online sports betting," says Mumbai- based 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 clamp down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to suggest modifications in the functioning 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 prohibited for 2 years after some gamers and group authorities were found guilty of repairing parts of the match at the wish of bookmakers.

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

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

"I do not mind paying some cash out my revenues, as long as I can bet openly," states our cricket bettor.

It would likewise open a big company opportunity for certified bookmakers and worldwide online wagering business to establish operations in India.

And it would assist restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by helping make deals included in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work along with sports betting business, you will have a very effective approach of marking out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

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

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting since (some) individuals wouldn't want to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He includes that people who use unaccounted money to position big bets will never bet lawfully.

Approval question

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to create a new law, and politically this will be a hard concept to offer.

"Despite the fact that lots of people are included in some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial issue for numerous," states our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their territory.
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"The procedure is so long and challenging that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this becoming a truth anytime soon."

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