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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India
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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 requiring 17 go to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom home situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is watching 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 talk about the match but to keep revising his bet.
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Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, but now as the Indian batsman gets all set to face the last over he's altered his mind.

"I believe India is winning, make the modification," 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 finish.

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

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

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

'Black cash'

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

With no legal avenue, punters put their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest specific run scorer.

The majority of these deals involve so-called "black cash", which is money not stated to the taxman.

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

And overseas wagering companies are using this loophole to lure Indians. Although there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot people have actually signed up accounts with overseas firms.

"Legally you can escape [with this], as the law is unclear for online sports betting," says Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.

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

Require legalisation

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 set up to recommend changes in the functioning of India's cricket regulative 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 been banned for 2 years after some gamers and group officials were discovered guilty of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

The panel also argues that legalised wagering will bring in tax revenues for the exchequer that could amount to $2bn a year.

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

"I do not mind paying some money out my earnings, as long as I can bet openly," states our cricket gambler.

It would also open a substantial organization chance for licensed bookmakers and international online sports betting companies to set up operations in India.

And it would help limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by assisting make transactions associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work along with wagering business, you will have a really reliable technique of marking out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

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

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be unlawful wagering because (some) people would not wish to leave an audit path by going into the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He includes that people who utilize unaccounted money to put huge bets will never gamble legally.

Approval question

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

"Despite the fact that many individuals are involved in some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial concern for many," states our unnamed punter.

And given that India has a federal structural - each state will have to likewise pass a separate 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 cynical about this coming true anytime soon."

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