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 needing 17 go to win against Australia.

In his two-bedroom house located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged male is viewing the video 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 actually made more than 10 employ the last 30 minutes - not to go over the match however to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes earlier his money was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman gets ready to deal with the last over he's changed his mind.

"I believe India is winning, make the change," he tells his bookmaker on the phone.

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

"I have actually made $200 today," he states with a childlike glee.
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For more than 3 decades he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is unlawful in India.

Aside from horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, illegal sports betting distributes flourish in the nation.

'Black cash'

According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's illegal sports betting wagering market is worth some $150bn a year. And much of that gambling cash is directed towards cricket.
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Without any legal opportunity, punters put bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bet on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest private 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 gaming in India, but unlike in the US which has a law restricting internet gaming, there is nothing comparable here.

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

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

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

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has actually grown after a panel designated by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, saying it would help secure down on corruption in the nation's favourite sport.
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The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend changes in the performance 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 actually been prohibited for 2 years after some gamers and team authorities were discovered guilty of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookmakers.

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

Even gamblers feel that legalising is a relocation in the best instructions.

"I don't mind paying some money out my revenues, as long as I can gamble publicly," states our cricket bettor.

It would also open a huge organization opportunity for licensed bookmakers and global online wagering companies to set up operations in India.

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

"If you work alongside wagering companies, you will have a really reliable technique of stamping out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

But numerous likewise believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be illegal wagering because (some) individuals would not wish to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who use unaccounted cash to position big bets will never ever bet legally.

Approval question

For sports betting gambling to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to develop a new law, and politically this will be a hard idea to sell.

"Even though numerous people are associated with some sort of sports betting - it's still a controversial problem for lots of," states our unnamed punter.

And provided that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their territory.

"The procedure is so long and challenging that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this ending up being a reality anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having been backed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of an argument has actually ignited around a topic - which up until now was thought about a taboo.
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