1 For Sports Gambling to Be Legalised

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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 needing 17 runs to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom home located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged man is seeing the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his right-hand man.

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

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

"I think India is winning, make the change," he tells 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 surface.

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

For more than 3 decades he's been sports betting 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 grow in the country.

'Black cash'

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

Without any legal avenue, punters position bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bet on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest individual run scorer.

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

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

And offshore sports betting business 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 uncertain for online sports betting," states Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.

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

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying it would help secure down on corruption in the nation's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend changes in the functioning of India's cricket regulatory 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 banned for 2 years after some players and group officials were found guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

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

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

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

It would likewise open a big business chance for certified bookmakers and worldwide online sports betting companies to set up operations in India.

And it would assist limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by assisting make deals included in gambling more transparent.

"If you work together with sports betting business, you will have a very efficient method of marking out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a website, India Bet.

But numerous also believe, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookmaker will need to be reasonable to make it attractive enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting because (some) people wouldn't want to leave an audit path by going into the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who use unaccounted money to position huge bets will never ever gamble legally.

Approval question

For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to create a brand-new law, and politically this will be a hard concept to sell.

"Despite the fact that many people are included in some sort of gambling - 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 area.
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"The procedure is so long and difficult 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 backed by a main panel for the first time, a minimum of a debate has ignited around a topic - which previously was considered a taboo.