Cops take guard as bookies get set to bet on IPL 6

No arguments that the Indian Premier League (IPL) continues to grab eyeballs. What it also does, say punters, is have many people by their wallets. City-based bookies claim that Rs500 crore of gambled money is likely to be churned out during the course of the 76-match cricket tournament, which starts on April 3.

Around the same amount of money did the rounds last year.

“A lot of money is at stake as far as IPL matches are concerned. The rates will fluctuate as the tournament progresses,” says a bookie.

Many bookies from the city, however, have begun to shift base for the IPL matches due to frequent police crackdown on gamblers. They have found safe havens at either hill stations or in villages. “Bookies are packing their bags to go to farmhouses in Matheran and Mahabaleshwar  because of police raids,” says another bookie.

Gujarat and Rajasthan are allegedly the nerve centres of the bookies’ network for such matches. “Besides, bookies are expected to operate from Bhopal, Indore, Jaipur and Guwahati. Even those in small villages can do well — all they need are two phones and a laptop,” says the bookie.

Most stakes have been placed on Chennai Superkings. Pune Warriors and Sunrisers Hyderabad are at the bottom of the gambling rung.

Satyanarayan Chaudhary, deputy commissioner of police (enforcement), says action will be taken against bettors. “We will also monitor the movements of known bookies.”

@manishpaathak