bet9ja-promotion-code-yohaig

1 For Sports Gambling to Be Legalised

bit.ly
Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India

Published

5 February 2016

Share

close panel

Share page

Copy link

About sharing

By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business reporter

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

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

He has made more than 10 calls in the last thirty minutes - not to discuss the match but to keep modifying his bet.

Five minutes earlier his cash was on Australia, now as the Indian batsman gets all set 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 his forecast 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 3 decades he's been wagering on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is unlawful in India.

Aside from horse racing, sports betting of any kind is not allowed in India. Despite that, unlawful 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 deserves some $150bn a year. And much of that gambling cash is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal opportunity, punters put bets using their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can wager on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest private run scorer.

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

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

And overseas wagering business are using this loophole to tempt Indians. Although there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have actually signed up accounts with overseas companies.

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

But in spite of this, it is "offline gaming", done through telephone call which control the marketplace.

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 concept, saying it would assist secure down on corruption in the nation's favourite sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established to suggest changes in the functioning of India's cricket regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 League sports betting scandal emerged.

Two franchises have been banned for 2 years after some players and group officials were discovered guilty of fixing parts of the match at the wish of bookmakers.

The panel also argues that legalised sports betting will generate tax profits for the exchequer that could amount 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 earnings, as long as I can bet openly," says our cricket gambler.

It would likewise open a huge business chance for licensed bookmakers and worldwide online wagering business to set up operations in India.

And it would assist limit match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by helping make deals involved in gambling more transparent.

"If you work alongside sports betting business, you will have a very effective approach of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

But many likewise think, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be sensible to make it attractive enough for them to bet lawfully.

However, there are constraints.

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

He adds that people who use unaccounted cash to place big bets will never gamble lawfully.

Approval question

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be needed to create a brand-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 issue for many," states our unnamed punter.

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their territory.
bet9ja.com
"The procedure is so long and tricky that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this coming true anytime soon."

Yet with the concept having been backed by a main panel for the very first time, at least an argument has sparked around a subject - which until now was considered a taboo.
bit.ly