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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting in India

5 February 2016
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By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business reporter

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

In his two-bedroom home situated in main Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is enjoying the game, nervously. He's sitting 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 30 minutes - not to talk about the match however 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 believe India is winning, make the change," he tells his bookie on the phone.

And a couple of minutes later on his forecast becomes a reality, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

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

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

Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed in India. Despite that, unlawful sports betting distributes grow in the country.

'Black money'

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 sports betting cash is directed towards cricket.

Without any legal avenue, punters put bets utilizing 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.

The majority of these transactions include so-called "black cash", 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 forbiding internet gaming, there is nothing similar here.

And overseas wagering companies are utilizing this loophole to entice Indians. Despite the fact that there are no online wagering operators based out of India, a lot people have actually registered accounts with overseas firms.

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

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

Calls for legalisation

The clamour to legalise sports betting in cricket has 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 favourite sport.

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

Two franchises have been banned for two years after some gamers and team officials were discovered guilty of fixing parts of the match at the wish of bookmakers.

The panel likewise argues that legalised sports betting will generate tax profits for the exchequer that could amount to $2bn a year.

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

"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 substantial business opportunity for licensed bookies and worldwide online sports betting business to set up operations in India.

And it would help restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by helping make transactions associated with gambling more transparent.

"If you work along with sports betting companies, you will have an extremely effective method of stamping out match repairing," states George Oborne, who runs a mock wagering site, India Bet.

But many also think, that the taxes levied on the gambler and the bookmaker will have to be sensible to make it attractive enough for them to bet legally.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be illegal sports betting because (some) people wouldn't wish to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that people who use unaccounted money to place huge bets will never bet lawfully.

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 hard idea to sell.

"Even however lots of people are associated with some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial issue for many," says our .

And considered that India has a federal structural - each state will need to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting gambling in their area.
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"The procedure is so long and difficult that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are negative about this becoming a reality anytime quickly."

Yet with the concept having been endorsed by a main panel for the very first time, a minimum of a debate has fired up around a subject - which till now was considered a taboo.