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

In his two-bedroom home situated in main Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is seeing the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his cellphone glued to his ideal hand.

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

Five minutes previously his money 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 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 surface.

"I have made $200 today," he says with a childish glee.

For more than three years he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is illegal in India.
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Aside from horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not permitted in India. Despite that, illegal sports betting syndicates grow in the nation.
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'Black money'

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

With no legal opportunity, punters position bets using their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bet on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest individual run scorer.

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

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

And offshore wagering business are utilizing this loophole to tempt Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have signed up accounts with offshore firms.

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

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

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would help secure down on corruption in the nation's favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to recommend changes in the performance of India's cricket regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League wagering scandal emerged.

Two franchises have been banned for 2 years after some players and team officials were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

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

Even gamblers feel that legalising sports betting is a move in the best instructions.

"I do not mind paying some cash out my profits, as long as I can bet publicly," says our cricket gambler.

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

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

"If you work alongside sports betting business, you will have an extremely effective approach of stamping out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

But numerous also believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookie will have to be affordable to make it appealing enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are constraints.
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"Definitely there will be unlawful wagering due to the fact that (some) individuals wouldn't want to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," states Mr Oborne.
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He includes that people who use unaccounted money to place huge bets will never bet 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 idea to offer.

"Although numerous people are involved in some sort of gambling - it's still a questionable issue for numerous," states our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to likewise pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their area.

"The process is so long and difficult that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this coming true anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having been endorsed by a main panel for the first time, a minimum of a dispute has actually ignited around a topic - which until now was considered a taboo.