Aakash city based businessman who used bookies earlier but has now found the online betting saga
Royal Challengers Bangalore's star fast bowler Mitchell Starc. Picture used for representational purposes only and is not related to the story.
The eagle eye is on all the sporty gamblers in the city. They’ve thus been quiet this IPL season. But that does not, in any way, mean that the moolah is not flowing and betting is not rampant. With thousands of crores slotted for betting on this IPL’s matches, virtual online betting has taken the city’s sports aficionados by storm. By putting a wager on odds, teams and players’ performances, people are actually making money thanks to just a few clicks and lady luck on their side.
Take for instance, Aakash Arora, a city based businessman who used bookies earlier but has now found the online betting saga and is only the richer because of it! He is up around Rs 50,000 and can’t wait for the online riches to accumulate.
He explains, “You are given Rs 100 crores to buy a team consisting of wicket keepers, batsmen, all-rounders and bowlers. Each player is valued at a rate according to their talent and you get to pick players from both the teams — a maximum of seven from a team. The players then get points for how many runs, fours, sixes, catches, wickets they take. If your team scores more points you win!” It might sound complicated enough, but it’s actually simple according to the many in the online betting brigade.
So how does one make the money, according to Aakash, you have to transfer money from the bank and form a kitty of sorts that you can play with. If you win, you get the money back! “If one were to join a bigger league where there are over 8,000 people, and you come first, its about a lakh of winnings. In smaller leagues you put in Rs 1,750 and the opponent puts in Rs 1,750 and the winner takes Rs 3,000,” he explains.
Another IPL fan Red Hat (name changed) has been betting online for a while now, he reveals, “I have a lot of friends who are into online betting this IPL season, as betting otherwise is illegal in India. We don’t do this through the main channel but do online betting through a tunnel. There are a few third party companies where you can create a virtual credit card and you can keep funding it with your Indian account through a bank swift code. This way, I bet and have made a lot of money.
Although my bets are usually based on my gut feel, it’s not that I just wake up one morning and place a bet. I also follow team strategies and previous analysis. I have been lucky and made about Rs 50,000 so far and plan to make more money this month. I feel KKR and CSK will be in the finals, but I’m not telling who my bet is on among these two teams.”
The odds are for the wallet and the favourites might not make it that heavy, but who’s complaining, when there’s a whole lot of money to be won!
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