1 For Sports Gambling to Be Legalised

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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India
bet9ja.com
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 situated in main Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is enjoying the game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his cellphone glued to his right-hand man.

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

Five minutes earlier his cash was on Australia, but 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 few minutes later his forecast comes true, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

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

For more than 3 years he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is in India.

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

'Black cash'

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

With no legal avenue, punters position 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 greatest specific run scorer.

The majority of these transactions involve so-called "black money", which is cash not declared 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 prohibiting web sports betting, there is nothing similar here.

And offshore wagering business are using this loophole to lure Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot individuals have signed up accounts with overseas companies.

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

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

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up 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 sports betting scandal came to light.

Two franchises have been prohibited for 2 years after some players and group authorities were discovered guilty of fixing parts of the match at the behest of bookies.

The panel also argues that legalised wagering will generate tax revenues for the exchequer that might total up to $2bn a year.

Even bettors feel that legalising sports betting wagering is a relocation in the best instructions.

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

It would also open a substantial company opportunity for licensed bookies and international online sports betting companies to set up operations in India.

And it would assist limit match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by assisting make transactions associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside wagering companies, you will have a very effective approach of stamping out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

But lots of also think, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookmaker will have to be affordable to make it attractive enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting since (some) individuals would not wish to leave an audit trail by going into the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that individuals who utilize unaccounted money to place big bets will never bet legally.

Approval question

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

"Although many people are associated with some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial problem for numerous," states our unnamed punter.

And offered that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their area.

"The procedure is so long and tricky that it will take years," says 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 first time, a minimum of an argument has actually sparked around a topic - which previously was considered a taboo.
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