The dangerous bet of the sports world

In such competitions, it is natural to speculate about which team, player, league or style of play to fan and which team will be the best. However, another major attraction for sports fans and professional or novice users is sports betting. The betting market is growing due to the increased options and easy betting platforms provided by the internet. Some betting platforms are legal in many countries. It seems that such platforms, which are considered illegal, are increasing their influence even in countries like Nepal and India in an unannounced manner.

Betting controversy is not a new topic in Nepal. Although it is not legal, betting activities are carried out in various sports competitions by adopting many holes and disguised styles. It is confirmed that the betting platform named One X Bet is organizing one of the main cricket competitions in Nepal, and the arrest of gangs that conduct sports-based betting and betting from the stadiums of Nepal has started to increase both the connoisseurship and the hobby of betting on sports.

The police have been arresting various individuals and gangs from time to time for acting as agents in One X Bet and doing business through apps like Connect IPS, e-service, IME Pay, Khalti and various banking systems. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, many agents like Sanlaghan Lamjung, Sujan Gowli of Sundarbazar-1, Praveen Shrestha of Kathmandu-20 were caught in the act of collecting money for betting through the betting app.

Experts in the field of sports have the experience of secretly placing bets in the recently concluded IPL and the ongoing tournament as well as money being transacted in the name of fantasy teams for various competitions. Only last Sunday, the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office arrested Kipesh Maharjan (30) of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-5 on the charge of betting. In the police investigation, it was seen that betting activities were being done through apps like One X Bet, Juwa-365, Mob Cash, Team Cash, Astropay.

Sports-based betting has a major role to play in spreading like this. According to an estimate by Business Insider, the size of the sports betting market in 2023 was around US$85 billion. The sector is estimated to be worth around US$155 billion by 2028 as legal permits increase. A live betting platform has also been created so that you can bet on many aspects such as which team will win, how much difference will the winner lose, how many points will be reached, how will the performance of a particular player be. Bets can be placed on what will happen next in an ongoing game.

The most recent notable example of sports betting, which has sometimes become exciting and sometimes addictive, is the 2015-16 bet placed on Leicester City to become league champions in the English Football League. In that season, it was announced that 5000 will be returned if a bet of 1-5000 is placed. Article Herbert, who placed a total bet of 50 pounds, won 72,000 pounds sterling when he withdrew his bet in March. Had he kept his bet until the end of the season in June, he would have won £250,000.

The bet, considered one of the most famous in sports history, was won by Mike Gibbs from Staffordshire, UK in 2001. He won almost 500,000 pounds when he placed a bet of 30 pounds on the correct answer of who will win the 4 professional leagues of English football, rugby union and cricket county. In terms of money, Cat Walters won $3.5 million in 2010, Vegas Dave won $2.5 million in 2015, Steve Whitney won $1.5 million in 2011 with a 2 pound bet, Fred Ruckags won 1 million with a 50 cent bet. Dollars, $800,000 won by Mike Futter betting on his own horse in 2003, etc.

It is believed that the practice of betting based on sports, which is believed to have started 2000 years ago during the Roman and Greek civilizations, officially started after the first official permission was given by the King of Britain in 1190. Modern sports betting is said to have been established in Britain in the early 18th century with the practice of betting on horse racing.

By the 19th century, betting by the wealthy as a hobby and common people as a form of gambling spread to other European countries. Since the 1990s, with the use of computers and online technology, it has started to be available online, and the interest in placing bets based on sports has been continuously expanding. With the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as well, there are signs that it will continue to expand as an addiction.

Sports-based betting has been linked to criminal activities such as gambling, organized crime, match-fixing, and bribery. With the expansion of professional sports betting online, around 30-35 countries have introduced their own regulation initiatives. America and Canada have officially recognized the sports betting market and regulated it legally. Since 2018, the US has given state governments the authority to regulate sports betting according to their local needs. European countries like France, Britain, Italy, and Germany, which have big sports leagues and fan communities, have also tried to legally regulate and manage sports betting.

In Asia, countries like Macau, Philippines, Japan, and South Korea have legalized various types of sports betting. Countries including Argentina, Brazil and South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria in South America, Australia and New Zealand have also regulated sports betting in their own way. As the nature of sports and the market intervention are different according to the country and region, sports betting is brought into legal scope in different ways from country to country and sometimes from state to state.

The practice of placing bets and placing bets is increasing day by day even in countries that have not received legal recognition in sports with global influence such as football and cricket. For example, sports betting is not legal in India, but it is said that fantasy team building platforms and unauthorized online and live betting platforms under many names make billions of dollars in IPL transactions.

Sports betting companies show how financially attractive sports betting is. Fan Dual, a sports betting platform owned by American gambling company Flutter Entertainment, operates in the UK, Australia and the US, accounting for about 47 percent of the US sports betting market. It is mentioned in the company's records that it made assets of about 31 billion US dollars at the end of 2023. Similarly, a company called BetMGM with a market value of about 16 billion dollars has been doing its business in sports such as basketball, baseball, and hockey in the American market. Started as a

fantasy sports platform, DraftKings is another major player in the betting market. Currently, DraftKings, which has become a US$13 billion company, has expanded its services to bet on many sports including football, basketball, golf, tennis, cycling, racing, and hockey. With this, 'Caesar Entertainment', which can bet on basketball games in particular, has become a company worth about 12 billion dollars. Companies such as 'Win Resorts', a company with a relatively secret service worth about 11 billion dollars, 'Bet-365', which is famous for football games, '10 Creek' and 'Betfair' for cricket, have also expanded their services.

Apart from these, it can be easily estimated that there are hundreds of companies operating in the market using legal loopholes locally in a country with a large population like India, which can also be transacted through offshore companies and cryptocurrency.

Various examples and studies have shown that sports-based betting is not only addictive but also drives people towards illegal activities. For betting operators, the small to big outcomes and opportunities that occur during the game can generate millions of dollars in earning opportunities. Due to this, the match or spot fixing done by using the players and related officials has shocked the entire sports field.

In 1919, it was revealed that 8 Chicago White Sox players deliberately lost the world championship game to a betting syndicate in the case of fixing known as the Black Box scandal. In 1951, in a similar fixing scandal related to basketball games, dozens of players from other teams, including the City College of New York, were arrested for intentionally fixing the results of the game.

In recent days, betting nets have spread mostly in football and cricket and various players have been accused of participating in fixing. The Calciopoli fixing incident of 2006, which is regarded as the most illegal betting incident in football history, shook Italian football. Famous Italian clubs Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentino, Lazio and other club officials and players were involved in the incident, one of the most famous clubs in Italy, Juventus, was relegated to the second division. Other clubs were also fined.

is also increasing in match or spot fixing cricket to benefit betting companies and networks. As a well-known example of this, the then South African captain Hennessy Cronje and India's famous player Mohammad Azharuddin accepted the fixing charges. In India's famous IPL, the famous Indian cricketer S. Sreesanth's playing career was over. Clubs including Mahendra Singh Dhoni's club Chennai were banned for two years. In the English Premier League, Brentford's famous player Ivan Toney was banned for involvement in illegal betting, which is the latest example of the illegal activity caused by sports-based betting.

The most famous example of betting in Nepali sports is the case of six people arrested along with four players of the national football team in October 2072. In the incident that created a stir in the sports field, the then captain Sagar Thapa along with Sandeep Rai, Ritesh Thapa and Vikas Singh Chhetri along with coach Anjan KC and physio Davies Thapa were accused of colluding with 5000 dollars per game in 16 to 23 international matches to help the betting operators.

Similarly, in the Nepal Premier League cricket tournament held last year, two people were even arrested after the national players made a public statement that the betting operators offered players of different teams for collusion. Those arrested were Mahbub Alam and Mohammad Adil Alam. The problem with sports-based betting is not just fixing, but also problems related to illegal transactions and money laundering. In recent days, especially undercover betting has encouraged illegal transactions and money laundering. Due to the addiction of betting, common people have also become victims of various scams and frauds. Whether it is legal or illegal, new and attractive platforms are added every day, on the one hand there is a problem of regulation, on the other hand, the addiction of betting, especially among the youth, is becoming a matter of concern.

Nepal is increasing its participation in major tournaments like the Cricket World Cup and the audience of national and international sports has increased due to the Internet and satellite TV. Timely regulation, legal clarity and awareness should be initiated. It is appropriate for the government to actively control some of these platforms that appear on the Internet with free or attractive offers.

(with agency assistance)