With the India Premier League (IPL) matches all set to take off on March 31, cricket bookies and match fixers are readying themselves for a killing running into at least Rs 600 crore daily.
Bookies across several Indian cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Hyderabad with links to international betting cartels based in Dubai and Karachi have already started accepting bets.
They have issued code numbers to punters to place their bets. The arrest of alleged big time bookie and hawala operator Anil Jaisinghani for allegedly blackmailing Amruta, wife of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is in charge of the home portfolio, has added a new dimension to the multi-crore betting racket.
Mumbai Police identifies network of 60 bookies, 18 betting apps
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has identified a network of 60 bookies and 18 cricket betting apps operated by punters to take bets on IPL matches. The Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai police had busted an interstate online betting racket during raids at Dadar hotel last November during England and Pakistan T20 World Cup final match which led to the arrest of five bookies and details of 18 online apps used for placing bets. The arrested bookies Anthony Dias, Imran Khan, Dharmesh Shivdasani, Dharmesh Vora and Gaurav Shivdasani spilled the beans on the international cricket betting syndicate run from Dubai and a network of 60 bookies in Mumbai and Thane region.
The Free Press Journal has exclusively accessed the Mumbai Police report of cricket bookies network running several popular betting books and online betting apps accepting odds for simple match win and loss outcomes to placing bets on highest scores, boundaries, wickets and even specific performance of each players in every IPL teams. The rates of betting were communicated from Pakistan to Dubai and further to India and other markets with D Company threatening various stake holders in the cricket betting syndicate to comply with their directives.
IPL betting turnover bigger than Maharashtra state budget
“IPL cricket betting turnover is bigger than Maharashtra state budget. Each session of six, ten and 20 overs net Rs 3,500 crore per match in the IPL 2023 season 16 with 74 matches between 10 participating teams and each team playing 14 league matches,” boasts a former cricket administrator about the popularity of IPL format in the cricket crazy nation.
Based on the Mumbai Police survelliance, four cricket bookies were arrested during India and Australia test match in February at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium by Nagpur Police crime branch. The bookies seated at strategic location were passing on the latest updates from the pitch to punters to capitalize on the small time difference between actual developments on the field and their live telecast.
Spot-fixing rampant during IPL
“Bets are placed not only on the result of the match, but also on a ball-by-ball basis. For instance, bookies at the venue where the match is on place bets on how many runs will be scored off every ball and take advantage of a six-second delayed transmission on TV. Several such bookies have been arrested from Nagpur and Mohali Cricket Stadium in the past,” confirmed a senior Mumbai Police Crime Branch Official.
Ahemdabad Police Crime Branch had last month busted an online cricket betting racket of Rs 1414 crore linked to Rajkot based bookie Rakesh Rajdev wanted by Thane police anti extortion cell in 2018 IPL betting racket involving bollywood actors. The bookies laundered cricket betting funds using 11 bank accounts of poor labourers and retired pensioners.
