There is a complex relationship between cricket in India and betting on the sport itself. There’s no denying that cricket is beyond popular in India, and yet online betting on the sport is considered illegal in the country.
No end in sight for cricket betting arrests in India anytime soon
Law enforcement officers have been raiding suspected online cricket betting operations all over the country and making arrests left and right. In Hyderabad, members of Task Force and Golconda police reportedly busted a cricket betting racket during the T20 World Cup match in November. Police in Telangana’s town of Warangal also arrested two people over an alleged cricket betting racket.
Several weeks later, nine people were reportedly arrested in Ahmedabad in connection with their alleged involvement in satta betting during a cricket match. And just recently, the crime branch of Aurangabad city police busted another alleged online cricket betting racket, arresting three people in the process.
These are just a few of the recent spate of arrests local authorities have made in connection with cricket betting. More importantly, these arrests highlight the complex relationship between the sport of cricket in India and betting on cricket.
Put simply, the sport of cricket is beyond popular in India, drawing in an estimated 93 percent of all sports viewers in the country. Add to that is the fact that India has a deep-seated love for gambling. Combine these two, and we have “a cultural cash cow,” as pointed out by analysts at ENV Media.
“India has a true ‘love affair’ with cricket, unparalleled in any other context. Stating that betting on the IPL outperforms any other sports segment is just the beginning, explaining why this is reality is a necessary step to understanding the desi sports betting market,” according to the ENV Media report on the sports betting industry in India.
Cricket and betting: Signs point to regulation
It is estimated that 80 percent of India’s sports betting market is cricket-based, and cricket wagering turnovers are projected to reach US$ 100 billion. That’s not surprising given that cricket is now an intrinsic cultural trait of the majority of Indians, and desi players in urban and small-town betting communities are seeing cricket matches as an opportunity to earn quick money.
At the rate it’s going, the popularity of betting on cricket matches isn’t going away anytime soon—the question remains whether the government will continue its futile attempts at outlawing the betting games or will harness the wins this vertical brings and utilize them to boost the country’s economy.
India already has a thriving online gaming market, despite it being governed by outdated laws. This needs to be modernized, in terms of having a uniformed regulatory framework that allows the market to keep up with the rapidly changing technologies and give regulators flexibility to upgrade regulatory measures for the benefit of the players, the operators, and the government.
ENV Media experts summed up the status of cricket betting succinctly in their sports betting research when they pointed out, “Quite simply, cricket is part of the culture; and betting on cricket is part of the sports for many.”