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 versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom home located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged male is enjoying the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his smart phone glued to his right-hand man.

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

Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, but now as the Indian batsman gets ready to face the last over he's changed his mind.

"I think India is winning, make the change," he informs his bookie on the phone.

And a couple of minutes later on his prediction comes real, 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 three years he's been sports betting on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is illegal in India.

Aside from horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not enabled in India. Despite that, unlawful sports betting syndicates prosper in the country.

'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 cash is directed towards cricket.

With no legal avenue, punters place bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bet on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest specific run scorer.

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

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

And overseas sports betting 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 signed up accounts with offshore companies.

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

But despite this, it is "offline sports betting", done through call which dominate the marketplace.

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the idea, saying it would assist clamp down on in the nation's favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend changes in the functioning of India's cricket regulative 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 gamers and group officials were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

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

Even gamblers feel that legalising sports betting is a relocation in the ideal instructions.
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"I do not mind paying some cash out my profits, as long as I can gamble publicly," states our cricket gambler.

It would also open a big business chance for certified bookies and international online sports betting business to set up operations in India.

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

"If you work alongside sports betting companies, you will have a really effective approach of marking out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering website, India Bet.
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But many likewise believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookie will need to be reasonable to make it appealing enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are limitations.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting due to the fact that (some) people wouldn't want to leave an audit path by getting in the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He includes that people who utilize unaccounted cash to position big bets will never bet legally.

Approval question
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For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to develop a brand-new law, and politically this will be a tough idea to offer.

"Although lots of people are associated with some sort of sports betting - it's still a questionable problem for many," says our unnamed punter.

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

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