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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India

Published

5 February 2016

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By Sameer Hashmi

Mumbai Business reporter

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

In his two-bedroom home located in central Mumbai, a middle-aged guy is seeing the game, nervously. He's resting on the edge of his grey colour sofa with his cellphone glued to his right hand.

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

Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman gets all set to deal with the last over he's changed his mind.

"I believe India is winning, make the change," he tells his bookie on the phone.

And a few minutes later on his forecast comes true, as India wins the match in a nail-biting surface.

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

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

Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not enabled in India. Despite that, unlawful wagering syndicates thrive in the country.

'Black cash'

According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's illegal sports betting wagering market deserves some $150bn a year. And much of that sports betting cash is directed towards cricket.
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Without any legal avenue, punters place bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything related to the cricket match, from who is winning to the greatest private run scorer.

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

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

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

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

But in spite of this, it is "offline gaming", 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 secure down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.

The Justice RM Lodha Commission was established 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 emerged.

Two franchises have been banned for two years after some gamers and team authorities were condemned of repairing parts of the match at the wish of bookmakers.

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

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

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

It would also open a big organization opportunity for certified bookmakers and international online sports betting to establish operations in India.
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And it would help restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by assisting make deals associated with gambling more transparent.

"If you work along with wagering companies, you will have an extremely efficient approach of stamping out match repairing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting site, India Bet.
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But lots of also believe, that the taxes imposed on the bettor and the bookie will have to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are constraints.

"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting because (some) individuals would not desire to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," says Mr Oborne.

He includes that individuals who use unaccounted cash to place huge bets will never ever bet lawfully.

Approval concern

For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to create a brand-new law, and politically this will be a tough concept to sell.

"Despite the fact that lots of people are involved in some sort of gaming - it's still a controversial concern for numerous," says our unnamed punter.

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

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

Yet with the idea having been endorsed by an official panel for the first time, at least a dispute has ignited around a topic - which previously was thought about a taboo.
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