• 목록
• 답변
• 글쓰기
• 게시판 리스트 옵션
  • 수정
  • 삭제

Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India

Published

5 February 2016

Share

close panel

Share page

Copy link

About sharing

By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business press 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 seeing the video game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his mobile phone glued to his right-hand man.

He has actually made more than 10 employ the last 30 minutes - not to go over the match but to keep revising his bet.

Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman gets prepared to deal with the last over he's altered his mind.

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

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

"I have actually made $200 today," he states with a childlike glee.

For more than three years he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't expose his name as what he's doing is unlawful in India.

Other than horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed India. Despite that, prohibited wagering syndicates prosper 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 sports betting cash is directed towards cricket.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Calls for legalisation

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

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend modifications 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 emerged.

Two franchises have been prohibited for 2 years after some players and team authorities were condemned of parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.

The panel also argues that legalised wagering will bring in tax profits 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 don't mind paying some money out my revenues, as long as I can bet publicly," says our cricket bettor.

It would likewise open a big organization chance for licensed bookies and worldwide online sports betting companies to establish operations in India.

And it would assist restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by assisting make transactions involved in sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside wagering companies, you will have a very reliable technique of marking out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.

But lots of also believe, that the taxes imposed on the gambler and the bookie will need to be reasonable to make it attractive enough for them to gamble legally.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be prohibited sports betting because (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 put big bets will never ever gamble legally.

Approval concern

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

"Although many individuals are included in some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial concern for lots of," says our unnamed punter.

And given that India has a federal structural - each state will need to likewise pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their territory.

"The procedure is so long and tricky that it will take years," says Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having actually been endorsed by an official panel for the very first time, at least an argument has ignited around a subject - which up until now was considered a taboo.