Sport is made for betting

Small fry punters and bookmakers caught up in this one by the looks of it. 6 held for betting during India-SA ODI Six persons were arrested in New Delhi for allegedly indulging in betting during the One Day International between India and South Africa on Friday. The gang was using website www.betfair.com for obtaining the latest fluctuating rates for the stake and betting on the cricket match, Chhaya Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer), said. Stake money worth Rs 72,000 was recovered from the house in Rohini Sector 16 in Outer Delhi. Gotta love how Indian journalism traditions forces them to list the entire website address rather than just referring to them as Betfair. Surely not publishing the URL would be a better idea if it was banned there? Meanwhile, huge amounts were being traded on South Africa at 1.01 today before Yusuf Pathan scared the willies out of the money-buyers with 105 runs off 74 balls. Luckily for them, Pathan got out and the queue to jump off...

According to this report , IPL tournaments so far have been rife with spot-fixing - that is fixing minor elements of the game - runs in a single over, number of wides bowled etc. The curious part of that article is that the Income Tax department are supposed to have found these crimes. What idiot would be stupid enough to put down 'big wad of cash handed to me by bookie' as a source of income? Backhanders for sportsmen, particularly in a celebrity- and cricket-obsessed culture like India are not rare. They could come from anything like turning up to open someone's new business (not a sponsor, but a 'friend of a friend' arrangement), to being a guest at some devoted fan's dinner party etc. The opportunities are always there, and there will always be people trying to become friends with players and their entourage - that is human nature. This form of match-fixing (and it's not really fixing a match, just a minor element of it) is very hard to prove, but also, ...

It's a natural fit for Betfair to get into India. Cricket betting is enormous and local bookies are mostly traders, offering a buy and sell price with each quote. Legalising betting in the country is the next step, and the most logical way to crack down on illegal, unlicensed betting, the most common route for corruption. Indian law means foreign companies must partner with local firms to do business there, in any industry. Betfair and William Hill target India Britain's biggest betting companies are bidding for the first online gambling licence in India to gain a slice of the country's $60bn (£37bn) betting market. The high-street bookie William Hill, along with internet players Betfair and Bwin, are bidding for the internet licence in the Himalayan state of Sikkim in early September. A decision is expected in the next two weeks. Some 13 betting companies, including local Indian operators, are battling it out for at least three licences in Sikkim. Sources said they want th...

All the concerns from Australia, England and other nations proved justified - Pakistan is not a safe place for foreigners, particularly professional sportsmen. Pakistan, such a talented cricket nation, have been out of the Test arena for over a year before this series against Sri Lanka, the one close neighbour who thought they would have no trouble with security. But even that proved too much of gamble this morning as terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team bus as they arrived for the third day of the Test match in Lahore. Thankfully, none of the injuries to the five players hit by gunfire are reported to be serious. India had its troubles in Mumbai but that was a political attack rather than anything involving sport. Pakistan is now on the outer, I can't see any international matches being played there for a long time. If they are able to 'host' matches in the near future, then Dubai, England or Sharjah are possible venues. This could be a watershed moment for the ICC. It...

Some sports want to bury their head in the sand when it comes to betting but forward-thinking Indian cricket officials are keen to legalise sports betting in an effort clean up the game and get rid of match-fixing. Cricinfo article This is potentially bigger than legalising sports wagering in the USA. Sure there are plenty of poor people in India, but there are plenty of people with wealth as well. And they bet on cricket whether it is legal or not. The Indian Premier League is only going to increase that - it's India's version of the NBA or NFL - the razzle-dazzle, cheerleaders and the media hype. The locals can't get enough of it. Good to see Betfair in there (who have an information-sharing agreement with the ICC and Cricket Australia) as well as Ladbrokes.