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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India
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5 February 2016

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By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business press reporter

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

In his two-bedroom home situated in main Mumbai, a middle-aged male is enjoying the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch 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 however to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, however now as the Indian batsman prepares to deal with the last over he's altered his mind.

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

And a couple of minutes later on his forecast comes to life, 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 decades he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is unlawful in India.

Besides horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not enabled in India. Despite that, illegal wagering syndicates grow in the nation.

'Black money'

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

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

The majority of these transactions include so-called "black money", which is cash not declared to the taxman.

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any sort of gaming in India, however unlike in the US which has a law prohibiting web gaming, there is nothing similar here.

And offshore sports betting companies are using this loophole to lure Indians. Even though there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have registered accounts with offshore firms.

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

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

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to suggest changes in the performance of India's cricket regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League wagering scandal emerged.

Two franchises have been banned for 2 years after some players and group officials were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the request of bookmakers.

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

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

"I don't mind paying some money out my revenues, as long as I can bet publicly," says our cricket gambler.

It would also open a substantial company opportunity for licensed bookmakers and international online sports betting business to establish operations in India.

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

"If you work along with wagering business, you will have a very efficient technique of stamping out match fixing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.

But lots of also believe, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookie will have to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are restrictions.

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

He adds that people who money to position big bets will never ever bet legally.

Approval question

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to produce a brand-new law, and politically this will be a difficult idea to sell.

"Although lots of people are included in some sort of gambling - it's still a questionable concern for lots of," states our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to likewise pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their area.
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"The procedure is so long and challenging that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this ending up being a reality anytime soon."

Yet with the idea having been endorsed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of a debate has actually sparked around a topic - which previously was thought about a taboo.