bet9ja-promotion-code-yohaig

bit.ly
Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India

Published
bet9ja.com
5 February 2016

Share

close panel
bet9ja.com
Share page

Copy link

About sharing

By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business press reporter

It is the last over of the cricket match, with India requiring 17 go to win against 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 smart phone glued to his right-hand man.

He has actually made more than 10 hire the last 30 minutes - not to talk about the match but to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes earlier his money 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 modification," he tells his bookmaker on the phone.

And a couple of minutes later his prediction becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.

"I have made $200 today," he says with a childish glee.
bet9ja.com
For more than three decades he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is prohibited in India.

Besides horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, prohibited sports betting syndicates flourish in the country.

'Black cash'

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

Without any legal opportunity, punters place bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest private run scorer.

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

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

And overseas wagering business are using this loophole to entice Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have registered accounts with offshore firms.

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

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

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would help clamp down on corruption in the country's favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to suggest changes in the functioning of India's cricket regulatory 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 players and team officials were discovered guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.
bet9ja.com
The panel also argues that legalised wagering will generate tax revenues for the exchequer that might amount to $2bn a year.

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

"I do not mind paying some money out my revenues, as long as I can bet publicly," states our cricket bettor.

It would also open a substantial organization chance for licensed bookmakers and global online sports betting business 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 deals included in sports betting more transparent.

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

But lots of also think, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookie will have to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are limitations.
bet9ja.com
"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting due to the fact that (some) individuals would not wish to leave an audit path by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He adds that individuals who utilize unaccounted cash to put huge bets will never ever gamble lawfully.

Approval question

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

"Even however lots of people are involved in some sort of gaming - it's still a questionable problem for lots of," says our unnamed punter.

And given that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a separate law to legalise sports betting gambling in their area.

"The procedure is so long and difficult that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this ending up being a truth anytime soon."

Yet with the idea having been endorsed by an official panel for the very first time, a minimum of a debate has fired up around a topic - which until now was thought about a taboo.
bet9ja.com