1 For Sports Gambling to Be Legalised

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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India

Published

5 February 2016

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By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business 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 male is enjoying the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his mobile phone glued to his best hand.

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

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

"I think India is winning, make the modification," 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 actually made $200 today," he states with a childish glee.

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

Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, unlawful wagering syndicates thrive in the nation.

'Black money'

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

With no legal avenue, punters position 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 highest run scorer.

Most of these deals include so-called "black cash", which is cash 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 business are utilizing this loophole to entice Indians. Even though there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot people have registered accounts with offshore companies.
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"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is unclear for online gaming," says Mumbai- based lawyer HP Ranina.

But despite this, it is "offline gaming", done through telephone call which control the marketplace.

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel designated by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would assist clamp down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up 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 came to light.

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

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

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

"I don't mind paying some money out my earnings, as long as I can bet publicly," states our cricket gambler.

It would also open a substantial company opportunity for certified bookies and worldwide online wagering companies to establish operations in India.
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And it would assist limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by helping make transactions included in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work along with wagering companies, you will have a very reliable approach of marking out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

But numerous also believe, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookie will have to be reasonable to make it attractive enough for them to gamble legally.
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However, there are limitations.
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"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting because (some) individuals would not want to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that individuals who use unaccounted cash to put huge bets will never gamble lawfully.

Approval concern

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

"Even however many individuals are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial problem for numerous," states our unnamed punter.

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

"The procedure is so long and tricky that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this ending up being a truth anytime quickly."

Yet with the idea having actually been backed by a main panel for the very first time, at least an argument has ignited around a subject - which until now was thought about a taboo.