For Sports Gambling to Be Legalised > 자유게시판

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

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 go to win versus Australia.

In his two-bedroom home located in main Mumbai, a middle-aged man is viewing the game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his mobile phone glued to his right-hand man.

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

Five minutes previously his cash was on Australia, now as the Indian batsman prepares yourself to face the last over he's altered his mind.

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

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

Other than horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed in India. Despite that, prohibited sports betting distributes flourish in the country.

'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 sports betting cash is directed towards cricket.

With no legal avenue, punters put bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookmakers. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest individual run scorer.

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

The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any sort of sports betting in India, however unlike in the US which has a law restricting internet gambling, there is absolutely nothing comparable here.

And overseas wagering business are using this loophole to lure Indians. Even though there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot individuals have signed up accounts with overseas firms.

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

But regardless of this, it is "offline gambling", done through phone calls which control the market.

Require legalisation

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

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

The panel likewise argues that legalised wagering will bring in tax revenues for the exchequer that might total up to $2bn a year.

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

"I do not mind paying some cash out my earnings, as long as I can gamble publicly," states our cricket bettor.

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

And it would help restrict match repairing in cricket and other sports betting, argue lots of, by assisting make transactions associated with sports betting more transparent.

"If you work alongside wagering business, you will have a really efficient technique of marking out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.

But lots of also believe, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookmaker will need to be sensible to make it appealing enough for them to gamble lawfully.

However, there are restrictions.

"Definitely there will be prohibited wagering because (some) people would not want to leave an audit trail by getting in the white market," states Mr Oborne.

He adds that individuals who use unaccounted cash to place big bets will never ever gamble legally.

Approval question

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

"Although lots of people are involved in some sort of gambling - it's still a controversial issue for numerous," says our .

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

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

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