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

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By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business reporter

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

In his two-bedroom house situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is enjoying the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his ideal hand.

He has made more than 10 employ the last thirty minutes - not to go over the match however to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes previously 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 change," he tells his bookie on the phone.

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

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

For more than 3 years he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't reveal 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, unlawful wagering syndicates flourish in the nation.

'Black cash'

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

With no legal avenue, 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 specific run scorer.

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

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

And offshore sports betting companies are utilizing this loophole to draw Indians. Although there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have signed up accounts with overseas companies.
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"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is ambiguous for online gaming," states Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.

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

Require legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has actually 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.
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The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to suggest 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 sports betting scandal emerged.

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

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

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

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

It would also open a big business opportunity for certified bookies and worldwide online sports betting companies to establish operations in India.
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And it would help restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue numerous, by assisting make deals associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside wagering business, you will have an extremely efficient approach of marking out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, .

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

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting because (some) people would not wish to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," says Mr Oborne.

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

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 sell.

"Although lots of people are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial problem for lots of," says our unnamed punter.
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And provided that India has a federal structural - each state will have to likewise pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their area.

"The procedure is so long and challenging that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this becoming a reality anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having actually been endorsed by an official panel for the very first time, at least an argument has sparked around a subject - which till now was thought about a taboo.
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