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 reporter

It is the last over of the cricket match, with India requiring 17 runs to win against Australia.

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

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

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

"I think India is winning, make the modification," he tells his bookmaker on the phone.

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

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

For more than 3 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 of any kind is not allowed in India. Despite that, prohibited wagering syndicates thrive in the nation.

'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 money is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal opportunity, punters position bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest individual run scorer.

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

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

And overseas wagering companies are utilizing this loophole to draw Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot individuals have signed up accounts with overseas companies.

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

But regardless of this, it is "offline gaming", done through call which control the market.

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend modifications 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 emerged.

Two franchises have been banned for two years after some players and group officials were found guilty of repairing parts of the match at the wish of .

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

Even gamblers feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a move in the ideal direction.
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"I do not mind paying some money out my revenues, as long as I can gamble openly," states our cricket gambler.

It would likewise open a big service chance for licensed bookmakers and global online wagering companies to establish operations in India.
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And it would help restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by helping make deals included in sports betting more transparent.
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"If you work together with wagering companies, you will have a very efficient method of marking out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

But lots of likewise think, that the taxes levied on the gambler and the bookmaker will need to be affordable to make it attractive enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting due to the fact that (some) people wouldn't wish to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that individuals who utilize unaccounted cash to place big bets will never ever bet legally.

Approval concern

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

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

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to likewise 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," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this ending up being a reality anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having been backed by an official panel for the very first time, at least an argument has fired up around a topic - which up until now was thought about a taboo.