The fourth edition of the Indian Premier League T20 tournament has brought smiles to punters in the city, with the illegal betting business in Bangalore overtaking Delhi and Chennai in terms of turnover.
The fourth edition of the Indian Premier League T20 tournament has brought smiles to punters in the city, with the illegal betting business in Bangalore overtaking Delhi and Chennai in terms of turnover.
Bangalore was at the fourth position during the previous season, but it now moved two rungs to figure in the second slot after Mumbai.
“Business has been on a high and we have recovered the losses from the cricket World Cup finals. We were initially not sure, but with Bangalore Royal Challengers bouncing back into the tournament, business has gained steam,” one of the seven bookies this reporter spoke to, said.
Though punters said business was better, the turnover during the ongoing IPL season was lesser than that of the ICC World Cup. However, none of them were willing to provide exact figures, while reiterating that Bangalore was second in terms of turnover.
The punter said the police were aware of betting dens. “Raids are conducted only when they don’t get their cut,” he added.
A senior police officer refuted the allegation, saying several bookies had left Bangalore to pitch tents Mysore, Mangalore and Bellary.
“Stakes are high in the IPL season this year, though we thought it would be lesser than the previous edition. As many as 700 bookies are reported to have shifted their area of operation from the city. Those who remained in the city are the core groups, collecting and distributing money,” the officer said.
A bookmaker said betting could be carried out from anywhere. “Betting is risk-free and could be conducted from homes, with a couple of mobile phones or the Internet,” he said, adding that the unpredictable manner in which the game changes in the shorter version of cricket made it lucrative.
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