Mumbai: It has been a long wait for Mumbaikars this year, as there is no sign of rain even though it is June end. Just as the monsoon has turned its back on Mumbai, the ‘satta’ players too have shifted their gaze from Mumbai rains; instead, the spotlight is on the World Cup with promise of bigger returns. Such is the current obsession over the World Cup in the Satta Bazaar that top bookies from Mumbai are overlooking bets on rains, which generally generate a business of Rs 30,000-50,000 crore during the four months of monsoon.
Every year, when the monsoon arrives, the satta bazar opens on a high note; all kinds of bets are placed thereafter in the ensuing four months of Monsoon – such as bets on daily amount of rain, monthly rainfall and season's total rainfall. There are special bets on flooding of Mumbai city as well. "Monsoon betting is most legitimate as it cannot be fixed or manipulated, since there is no human factor involved. As against this, one can manage any sport, be it cricket, football or hockey. The other bookie favourite are beauty pageant contests.
The monsoon bets also have more tangible results which can be tallied with the figures officially released by the meteorological department," said a senior journalist Vivek Agrawal. In fact, after Tuesday's match between England and Australia, the total bets riding on the World Cup have thus far touched Rs 50,000 crore said a bookie. He also said, by the end of the World Cup this figure would easily touch Rs 1.1 lakh crore.
- SACHIN GAAD
