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 reporter

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

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

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

Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman prepares to face 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 few minutes later his prediction comes true, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

"I have made $200 today," he says 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 illegal in India.

Other than horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not permitted in India. Despite that, prohibited sports betting distributes grow in the country.

'Black cash'

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

Without any legal avenue, punters place bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can wager on anything associated 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 money not declared to the taxman.

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

And overseas sports betting business are utilizing this loophole to tempt Indians. Although there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have actually registered accounts with overseas firms.

"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online gaming," says Mumbai- based HP Ranina.

But despite this, it is "offline gambling", done through call which dominate the market.

Calls for legalisation
bit.ly
The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, saying it would help secure down on corruption in the country's favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend 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 actually been prohibited for two years after some gamers and group authorities were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

The panel also argues that legalised wagering will generate tax earnings for the exchequer that could amount 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 profits, as long as I can bet publicly," states our cricket bettor.

It would also open a substantial business chance for licensed bookies and global online sports betting business to establish operations in India.
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And it would assist limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by assisting make transactions involved in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work along with sports betting business, you will have an extremely effective method of marking out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

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

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting because (some) individuals would not desire to leave an audit path by going into the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who utilize unaccounted money to put big bets will never ever gamble lawfully.

Approval concern

For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to develop a new law, and politically this will be a difficult concept to sell.

"Despite the fact that many individuals are involved in some sort of sports betting - it's still a questionable issue for many," says our unnamed punter.

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a separate law to legalise sports betting in their area.
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"The procedure is so long and tricky that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime soon."

Yet with the idea having been backed by a main panel for the first time, a minimum of a debate has fired up around a subject - which previously was considered a taboo.