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

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 main Mumbai, a middle-aged man is viewing the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his right-hand man.

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

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

"I believe India is winning, make the modification," he informs his bookie on the phone.

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

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

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

Aside from horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed in India. Despite that, prohibited sports betting distributes thrive in the country.

'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 gambling cash is directed towards cricket.

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

The majority of these deals include so-called "black cash", which is cash 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 restricting web sports betting, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.

And overseas sports betting business are using this loophole to draw Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have actually registered accounts with overseas firms.

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

But in spite of this, it is "offline gaming", done through phone calls which control the market.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel appointed by India's Supreme Court the concept, stating it would help clamp down on corruption in the country'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 wagering scandal emerged.

Two franchises have been prohibited for 2 years after some gamers and group officials were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the wish of bookies.

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

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting is a move in the right instructions.

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

It would also open a huge company opportunity for licensed bookmakers and international online wagering business to set up operations in India.

And it would help restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by helping make transactions included in gambling more transparent.

"If you work along with wagering companies, you will have a really efficient method of marking out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.

But many also think, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookmaker will have to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to bet lawfully.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be unlawful wagering since (some) people wouldn't desire to leave an audit path by getting in the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He includes that people who utilize unaccounted cash to put big bets will never gamble lawfully.

Approval question

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

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

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their territory.
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"The procedure is so long and difficult that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this coming true anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having been endorsed by an official panel for the first time, at least a debate has actually fired up around a subject - which previously was considered a taboo.
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