In our country, cricket and the B-world have always gone together. Wait a minute. We’re not talking about Bollywod here. It’s the other B-world that we’re talking about here — the betting arena. With more and more sand emptying from the hour-glass counting down to the start of the cricket World Cup, the betting world in India is already abuzz with intense activity.
Says Ramesh (name changed), “Although the World Cup buzz has already started in betting circles, bookies in Chennai usually start accepting bets only two weeks prior to such big events. Such events draw a lot of first-time betters comprising mostly college students and youth, and the regular betters increase their stakes and the money they put into the matches. The bet for the World Cup winner, also known as ‘outright betting’, will draw the biggest crowd.”
Prateek (name changed), an avid better in Chennai, says, “I’ve been into sports booking for about seven years now. World Cup events are filled with heightened tension and excitement because the stakes are high.”
In all the top international online betting websites too, India is stacked as the favourite to lift the World Cup this time, followed by England, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia. Says Atul Wassan, former cricketer and cricket expert, ”India being considered the favourites comes as no surprise. It is a combination of many factors — Dhoni’s leadership, a mix of youth and experience, our current form and home advantage.” And betting too will see a steep increase, he feels. “Now that the tournament is going to be held here and also us being favourites, it would be foolish to think otherwise. Nothing can prevent it from taking place alongside such huge events.”
Legal or not, it is evident that the bookies and betters are in for a season full of activity, tension and excitement. Summing up the general feeling of the cricket enthusiast, Atul quips, “I only hope no match-fixing controversies crop up to taint the World Cup. Nothing feels better than a tournament played fair and square, irrespective of who wins it.”