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| Fifty thousand rupees for a four, one lakh rupees for a six. Youngsters aspiring for 'easy money' in IPL |
In a cricket match, if the ball crosses the boundary line, it is called a four. If a player hits a boundary during a match, four runs are added to the team's total score as well as the player's individual score.
You might be thinking that every child in Pakistan knows how much four or six hits a cricket score! But the surprising thing is that when a four is hit during the ongoing IPL match in India, only the score of the team and the player increases, but some people get an amount of Rs. goes
Not only this, but in an IPL match, a six was hit on the last ball of the last over, which gave the team only six runs, but some people got Rs 100,000 in their accounts.
But who are these people who are getting rich on every four or six hits in the IPL?
These are the bettors who are watching every ball more than the fans during the IPL matches.
During a recent match in Hyderabad, the police arrested the operatives of some gangs who were betting among the crowd in the stadium.
The betting trend in India increases every year during IPL.
Sports analysts say that betting in IPL is not only limited to the win or loss of any team but also the total score, wickets lost in an inning, and individual scores of important players like Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, bowlers. Performance includes a total of fours and sixes in the match, runs in the powerplay, wides, and nine balls during the match.
Betting starts before the start of any IPL match. Like betting on who will be in the playing XI and whether people win or lose, some gaming apps have emerged in India that offer live betting.
Cricket analyst Venkatesh talks to the BBC about batting. According to him, some apps have been banned in Telugu states, however, these apps are available in different forms.
A large number of betting apps have emerged along with gaming apps that are easily available for bettors. He points out that cybercrime police can control them with special attention. "Betting is done not only on the runs scored in the match but also on things like the toss."
Some recent cases show that betting, as far as India is concerned, is now changing forever. Earlier, betting activities were conducted in bars, pubs, and private houses.
Now betting activities are going on in the farmhouses in the suburbs of Hyderabad where 20 to 25 ordinary phones, four or five TVs, and laptops are installed. Recently, the police arrested a gang of four people for betting in a farmhouse under cybercrime laws. 4 million rupees were seized from him and 3 million rupees in the account were frozen.
Rajendranagar DCP Jagdeeswar Reddy said, "Beating gangs are opting for farmhouses because there is more vigilance in the city."
This modern betting is completely online. Police say that such activities will be completely stopped after the IPL matches are over.
A week before the start of IPL 2023, the Special Operations Team (SOT) police raided a bookies' base during a match in Bashirabad under cyber laws.
In these raids, 5 million rupees were seized and 12 people were arrested. On the matter, DCP Sandeep Rao told the media that the money is sent online as soon as the match is done. Later we will not see money anywhere. Once the match is over, it becomes difficult to get hold of the money. That is why we were able to raid during the match.
These cricket bookies use secret language to bet with each other in betting, like 'finger' means 1000 rupees, 'bone' means 10 thousand, and 'leg' means 100,000 rupees.
The winning team or the team with the highest probability of winning is called 'Flying'. The losing team is called 'Khana'. Moreover, there are some YouTube channels and Telegram groups to create awareness about betting. It also provides tips and advice to bettors along with predicting the match winners in advance.
Betting activities in cricket cannot be completely stopped. The big bookies are believed to be controlling the betting mainly from places like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Goa.
Apart from India, IPL betting is also done in countries like Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. Police say that since everything is happening online, it has become difficult to control.
A police officer told the BBC on condition of anonymity that the bookies operate in Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad while being supported by 'punters' below. From placing bets to sending money after winnings, everything is done online with Google Pay and Phone Pay. That is why it is becoming difficult to catch them.
According to the police official, the youth indulge in gambling for the lure of 'easy money' and then get addicted to it. Earlier this work was limited to big cities and towns but now it has spread to villages.
On May 18, a 19-year-old youth from Narla Gowda Tanda near Shadnagar allegedly committed suicide after losing money in betting. Similarly, a young man named Sai Kishan of Bhadradari Kotha Godem district allegedly committed suicide after losing money. Sai used to do part-time jobs to make ends meet.
His family told the police that he died after losing five lakh rupees in gambling. Although such incidents are frequent, there is a lack of control over betting activities.
According to the police, some youths are betting with loans and they are worried about losing money and having no way to recover it.
Rajendranagar ACP Gangadhar said, "It starts as a joke but then becomes an addiction."