The countdown to the FIFA World Cup-06 may have reached a feverish pitch in the eastern states, but Gujarat is oblivious to the climax… till you visit the city's Satta market!
Though ignorant about soccer, Amdavadis place bets worth crores.
AHEMEDABAD: The countdown to the FIFA World Cup-06 may have reached a feverish pitch in the eastern states, but Gujarat is oblivious to the climax… till you visit the city's Satta market! You won't find any paintings on walls or hoardings in the streets, or even come across residents sporting FIFA T-shirts. But, surprisingly enough, 'Amdavadis' have put crores at stake on this sporting event.
Several local residents, totally clueless about Soccer, have jumped at this opportunity to gamble and make a quick buck by placing bets worth thousands at the city's 'Satta' market. With just six days to go, over 500 bookies and punters have sprung into action. "Betting has become a full-fledged business in Gujarat, especially Ahmedabad," an Ahmedabad-based bookie Dineshbhai Pandya said.
Usually confined to Cricket, the Satta market has now moved much beyond its sporting bets' profile. Amdavadis betted in a big way on Pramod Mahajan's chances of survival after he was shot by his brother; the date of Monsoon's entry in Gujarat and now, they've taken on football. "We are already in the business but the real deal will start when the tournament begins," said Pandya.
Talking about the rates he said, "The prices of teams are fixed on a day-to-day basis. The rates for the Cup will also vary as the tournament commences. Prices of hot favourite teams like Brazil, Argentina , Italy, France, England and Germany always remain low. Right now it's between one rupee and one rupee fifty paisa. If the team wins the cup then the speculator will get Rs100 on every one rupee he bets."
Ketan Jani, a speculator says, "I will bet Rs 5,000 on Cameroon making it to semifinals. They are simply brilliant."
(All names have been changed to protect identities)
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