excerpts from conversations with some of india’s top bookies*

INDIA

six MONTHS undercover On how they conduct business

cricket
SI India: Aur money transaction kaise hota hai?
Bookie: Hawala. See, jaise maanlo. Teen log hain. Tinku ne **** [Player’s name re-
moved] se baat ki. Aur ab usse Dubai mein **** ke account mein paise pahunchaane
hain. Toh woh apne Dubai ke aadmi ko phone karke boldega ki woh **** ko paise de
de. Woh Dubaiwala aadmi **** ke account mein paisa transfer kardega, which is
obviously not in ****’s name, aur phir **** confirmation de dega ki usse paisa mil

in a fix
gaya ya nahin.

On how a player busted a deal

these are
know if anyone else is involved at this
SI India: OK. And you are sure about these level other than him. At least, no one here
two, **** and ****? [Two players whose in Delhi. All the Pakistan matches which
names have been removed.]
Bookie: Haan. Inse meri khud baat hui hai.
SI India: Okay. Kya baat hui thi? Ek baar
direct quotes, were played in Abu Dhabi were known to
him. And [he would] pass on the infor-
mation to Sunil bhaiya. Aur spot-fixing ka
bataaiye.
Bookie: Jo tape mere paas thi, usme toh ek unedited for concept naya nahin hain. Humme pehle se
hi pata tha. Three-four balls mein runs na-

grammar or
argument tha. hin aa rahe, phir suddenly, there were wide
SI India: Jab woh shuru hota hai tape, toh balls, no balls. Spot-fixing is a major op-

SI India investigates the shadowy world of bookies usme first voice kiski hai?
Bookie: First voice humaari hai. Jab tak hum
kuch bolte nahin, woh saamne se kuch nahin tone and in
portunity to win.

On maintaining control
ON TAPE: Bookies claim `40 billion was shuffled from Pakistan to bolta.
SI India: Aap mein se kiski hai? Sunilji ki?
Bookie: Nahin, Tinku ki. Do tapes hain. the original Bookie: Jaise 4 bande aa gaye. 25 paise ki
lag gayi... 25-25-25-25... toh woh darte na-

India during the World Cup; the amount was split among 24 bookies Tinku ne kaha ki... [pauses]
SI-India: 1st tape mein Tinku ne kaha ki...
Bookie: Theek hai sab kuch. Hum paise bhi-
language of the hin hain... paanch-waanch lakh rupaiye ke
liye. Toh woh cutting karte hain. Cutting
karte. Toh match one-sided hone lagte.

ON TAPE: Everyone knows everyone: Links between bookies, property

jwa dete hain. Baaki saari baat pehle decide
ho chuki thi, phir jab usne commitment poo-
ra nahin kiya, toh doosri baar unhone mujhe
exchanges. Toh matches palatne lag gaye. Ab woh dar
gaye, chhote-chhote bookie ud gaye hain, un
matches mein... kyun? Maal aage chadaate

dealers, politicians, cricket officials, police, players and player agents

kaha ki phone laga aur pooch. gadbad kar diya. Usse pata chal gaya tha toh nahin thhey, bade bookie ko, khud hi dabba
Maine kaha, “Sir kya hua? Ye gadbad usne dressing room mein kaha ki aisa kuch karte thhey, dabbe mein match palat gaye,
kaise ho gayi? Hum toh mar gaye!’ karne ki koshish nahin karein or isiliye hum haar gaye woh.

On tape: Bookies claim Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi rejects their

SI India: Direct **** [Player’s name] ko paise wapas kar rahe hain’. SI India: Oh.
phone kiya? Bookie: Ye Titu Bansal karaate hain ye kaam.
Bookie: Haan. Toh woh bola, ‘Behen ke... Titu Bansal, Dr. Saab, Bobby Jailroad... Ye
On who Delhi’s top guns are
advances outright but allege some others are more approachable
phone rakh.’ bade bookie hain. In pe punter nahin khel-
SI India: Phir? SI India: And who else is involved? te... in pe bookiyon ki cutting jaati hain. In
Bookie: Phir agle din uske kisi acquaintance Bookie: Bookies? pe bookiyon ki cutting jaati hai, jo hummare
ka phone aaya ki aise-aise ho gaya tha. ‘*** SI India: Yes. pe dhanda aa raha hain, hum aage kaat ra-

BY HEENA ZUNI PANDIT I llust rat ion s by Pr i ya n k a k au r oberoi

[Reference to a Board official removed] ne Bookie: Tinku. I told you about him. I don’t hein hain, beech mein se faida leke.

*SI India taped more than 400 minutes of conversation with various people involved in the bookmaking world. In some cases, the conversations were actually
part of police operations, in others SI India arranged meetings with known bookies through players and the police. There are also separate conversations
with players, officials and politicians. These tapes are authentic but are of course open to scrutiny. It would be ideal if the claims made on tape were to be
investigated by anti-corruption and security agencies. Till official charges are made, we cannot publicly identify all of the people named on tape.

Power Brokers P. 45 Need of the Hour P. 46 Zero Degrees of Separation P. 49 M AY 2011  |  S p o r t s I l l u s t r at e D  |  43

 SPECIAL
REPORT I cricket in a fix
Transcript of a conversation recorded on
March 31, the day after India beat Pakistan
in the World Cup semifinal:
Voice: Arre uss match ka pata chala aapko? power brokers
SI-India: Kis match ka?
Voice: India–Pakistan ka. Humein toh ek
These are the men who make hay come rain or shine
message aaya tha, Bihar ke ek politician ka. Dr. Saab: Shadowy figure, Dr. Saab is
Kaha, ‘Sir, yahi sahi time hai paise lagaane allegedly an alias for a Delhi-based busi-
ka. Ab nahin lagaayenge to kab lagaayenge? nessman with large interests in the steel
`200 crore pahuncha diya hai’. industry. He lives in east Delhi, was re-
SI-India: Achcha. Kaunsa politician tha? portedly handling all the cuts from other
Voice: Ek hai, Bihar mein. bookies during the World Cup. He doesn’t
Voice 2: Apna 2-3 lakh kamaliya, chhutthi... take bets like a regular bookmaker, but
Humme kya matlab kaun kya karta hai? takes some special customers, those re-

T
portedly willing to fork out over `50 lakh.
he original voice, in this case, was that
of a politician from a national party, Tinku Mandi: One of the NCR’s biggest bookies for a few years
who has a residence in Delhi and a now, Mandi is a Noida resident. Another bookie claims Mandi has
scrapyard business in Mumbai. He direct accesss to certain international players. He is involved in the
was part of a group of six men—the real estate business and also trades in gold and silver.
rest are in the property business—
discussing how much money they had made Titu Bansal: A “pure bookie” with no involvement in any other
off the World Cup game. industry, Bansal reportedly operates his thriving bookmaker
The meeting was casual, a get-together business out of East Delhi. He also controls a gang of bookies,
over drinks in an office in New Delhi’s including Sonu, the younger brother of Tinku Mandi.
posh East of Kailash, celebrating the fact
that each had made between `2-3lakh, a Bobby Jailroad: Bobby works in close association with Tinku
relatively small sum in the big, bad world Mandi on contacting players to spot fix. Reportedly a resident
of illegal betting, but one, they believed, of Malcha Marg near Dhaula Kuan in New Delhi, he is believed
was worth it as it was as “guaranteed” as to earn his share (which is around `2.5 lakh per match) only by
the result of the India–Pakistan game. “settling” for other bookies.
In a separate get-together, the prop-
erty dealers casually discussed how four Sunilji: One of the big players, a resident of Jagriti Enclave, Sunilji
Pakistan players had allegedly been paid is a property dealer who also trades in metals. He was reportedly
to under-perform in the game. They also introduced to the bookie business by Mandi to offset losses from
spoke of how Pakistan skipper Shahid Af- trading in gold and silver and has several players on speed dial.
ridi couldn’t be approached: “Woh nahi march 31, 7pm
Property dealers,
aata pakad mein [He doesn’t take the politicians meet Baburam aka Sunil: Baburam operates out of Jaipur and report-

Betting in
bait]”, one remarked, implying that Afridi, in East of Kailash, edly controlled matters in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League.
at least, was clean. discuss profits made While other bookies have been questioned by cops, bookie circles
on bets placed on the
Over the last six months, SI India has India-Pakistan World claim there’s never been a whiff of a scandal about him.
met, individually and collectively and on
several occasions, with over half a dozen
known bookies, players, agents and of-
india should be odds and place bets on games.
Cup semifinal.

in itself, especially given that it is a well someone who doesn’t maintain books, et business in South Asia, estimated at a
ficials, and watched from the sidelines
as investigative officers across agencies legalised. this SI India has taped many of these con-
versations with bookies and police of-
known and undisputed fact that most of
the money in cricket, generated legally or
but generally makes money only from the
“cuts” he takes from other bookies. He is
whopping `20-30 billion, is controlled by
India’s Public Enemy No. 1.

will help curb

conducted undercover operations into ficers and while the tapes are authentic, illegally, comes from India. Here’s why it’s someone with direct or indirect access to a
organised betting syndicates and worked some of the contents of these tapes are all so disturbing. player’s agent and, in rare cases, to a player Easy access
on tip-offs with regard to spot-fixing in yet to be verified—it is still an ongoing himself. This kingpin, in turn, according What is worse, in many ways, is that lo-
A parallel world
cricket matches before and during the
March-April World Cup. unnatural money operation—which is why names have not
been printed. We have informally offered Bookies, big or small, all know or know
to the police, gives a cut of his earnings to
the underworld.
cal bookies and middlemen either claim
to know players personally or know their

transactions.
SI India has also tapped into the il- officials of both the International Cricket of each other. They maintain meticulous Authorities also believe that some part agents very well. In one conversation,
legal world of betting through “dabba” Council (ICC) and the Board of Control computerised records of their dealings. The of that money goes back to criminal mas- a top Delhi bookie’s sidekick informed
phones—basic cell phones with modified for Cricket in India (BCCI) access to these bookmakers, though they are outlaws, have termind Dawood Ibrahim or to organi- us that he had called up a senior player
SIMs. You can receive no incoming calls
on these cell phones and only use them
to dial a single pre-programmed number
— rahul mehra, recordings to take this further as they
please. That is their call. All the details we
have here are based on sources in security
a more or less strict, organised hierarchy
in their own world. A small-time bookie or
a group of bookies invariably has to give
sations controlled by the D-company. In
fact, while the Dawood bogey has been
raised on many occasions for many differ-
during a T20 international because of a
`5 crore spot-fixing deal that had fallen
through.
that takes you straight into a bookie net-
work from where you can listen to the sports lawyer agencies or police reports.
What we have verified, though, is scary
a cut to a bigger local bookie referred to
as a “kingpin”. The kingpin is normally
ent things, there is little debate amongst
agencies that the illegal betting-on-crick-
While we were not privy to him calling
up the player in question, the player’s per-

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 SPECIAL
REPORT I cricket in a fix

oct. 2010, 2.15pm

oct. 2010, 1pm He drives his car while
A top bookie’s man calls
explaining betting, fixing
SI India to an East Delhi
and how players come in.
metro station.

oct. 2010, 2pm

He refuses to step out
of his car while sharing oct. 2010, 2.30pm
“top secret” info. He speaks of the hawala
effect and a deal with a
player that fell through.

nov. 12, 2010, 12.26am

We receive the first of
several intriguing texts
relating to betting.

sonal numbers he had were correct and Another said he had ticked off a top

the NEED OF some of the details and team information

he had were startling. This man, inciden- theY CAN BE India player’s agent, telling him to “stay
away” from him when the agent came to bookie lingo: the jargons
THE HOUR CHARGED ONLY
tally, is not remotely connected to cricket invite him for an event in South Africa.
in any obvious way—he is not a player, a “I’d heard all kinds of stories about this
The betting dictionary is full of taut and tongue-in-cheek terms
sports agent, a sponsor, an official, a me- agent, about how he fixes and arranges Bet-khana: A fancy bet pro- programmed number that Satta: Betting
On the Indian board and the
international body’s part
diaperson, a PR rep, a relative or a friend
of a player or even a fan. To him, as he
says, it’s business.
UNDER the things, and while I don’t have solid proof
about his activities, I wasn’t going to be
seen in his company,” the official said.
vided by the big bookie to
the small punters working
takes you straight into bookie
network from where you can
Satori: Punters
Sattebaz: Regular punters
and bookies

GAMBLING ACT,
under him for entertainment listen to the odds and place
l Licence and regulate player agents, A former India player, now the coach of or sometimes as an incentive bets on games. Settling: The word is used

H
after running background checks on e is actually in the real estate busi- a Ranji team, said he had told his players for good business. Favourite: Any team which is for the process of collecting

WHICH IS NOT a
each. ness, as are many of the bookmak- that when they were in Delhi, they were to Bhao: Betting rates favorite to win money from various bookies
l Have undercover anti-corruption ers to whom we spoke. Police au- absolutely stay away from a statemate, an Book: The place where a re- Hawala: Money transfer sys- a day after the match.
officials pose as interested parties and thorities believe that many of those India player. Why? He reportedly mixes cord of all bets is maintained tem involving big amounts. Spread betting: In spread
see if players are vulnerable or willing.
l Have a permanent manager and
involved in the darker side of cricket call
themselves “property dealers” because deterrent. SO IT’S socially with a Delhi businessman who
owns a store in the upscale Khan Market
Colour: A match is said to
be “colour hai” if the book-
Ind: India
Khaya: Losing the bet
betting, one needs to be in
the know and therefore pre-

a WASTE of time
security manager, or a member of that is a business in which movements area. “He [the businessman] has a reputa- ies sense that the result has Line: Phone lines where bet- dict who will be the standout
such a team, travel with the team at of cash can be easily manipulated and tion for being a middleman and a bookie. been fixed. ting rates are constantly up- performer, which bowler will
all times. explained—at least for now, till the gov- While the older players know better than Choti Paari: A session of five dated. end up with the best econo-

— AN officer
l Sensitise players to the dangers of ernment implements its plan to seriously to mix with him, I didn’t want any of the overs. Lambi paari: Session of 10 my rate, which batsman will
people seeking information from early audit all property transactions. younger players to go anywhere near Cutting: The share of the to- overs. score the higest run, etc.
on—under-15 onwards. Separately, a top BCCI official told him,” the coach said. tal amount of money placed Liya: Winning Spot betting: In spot betting

On the government’s part SI India that the same player (who the
bookie claimed to have spoken to) was also INVESTIGATIng fixing Delhi players informally told SI India
they were “aware” that the businessman
at a book run by a smaller
player who works under a big
Matka: Matka is the term
used in Mumbai for ‘satta’
one gambles on the ball-by-
ball score.
l Legalise gambling, a major portion warned that he was being “watched care- concerned had a “shady reputation”. Offi- bookie. (betting). Session: A session is where
of the problem disappears. fully” during the Indian Premier League’s characters based in the Middle East, but cials from the Delhi Police admit they have Dabba: Basic cell phones Odd betting: The oldest form one bets on how many runs
l Make spot-fixing, passing on second season in South Africa. not seen in India, flew into South Africa been watching this businessman for some with modified SIM-cards. You and is for the newbies in the will be scored in a particular
confidential information through Some BCCI officials were very con- and booked rooms in the players’ hotels, time now, but say they have no evidence can receive no incoming calls business. In odd betting, one session.
illegal channels criminal offences cerned by the free access to players, na- both during last year’s Champions League that will stand in court to convict him. on these phones, and only has to predict the winner. It’s Tagada: Collecting money
with stiff penalties under the law. tional and international, during that and the IPL’s second season,” an official “When we do, we will get him,” said an use them to dial a single pre- the simplest form of betting. due at various books.
second season. “Several known shady told SI India . assistant commissioner of police (ACP).

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 SPECIAL
REPORT I cricket in a fix

come 1
Mobster The CBI and
2

into my
Dawood Ibrahim is the Intelligence
considered the ultimate boss Bureau have claimed in their
of the betting underworld in India, 2G scam chargesheet, that Shahid
Pakistan and West Asia. Every small-time Balwa, who, along with fellow co-founder

parlour bookie reportedly gives a cut of his earnings to

a bigger one (called a Kingpin) and the Kingpins,
in turn, give a share of their earnings to
and Managing Director of DB Realty Vinod
Goenka, is behind bars, received funds
from Dawood and Chhota Shakeel, his The

Links within links: While the

criminals owing allegiance to Dawood or
his D-Company.
right-hand man. BJP’s
Eknath Khadse,
3
A world where there
april 25, 2011, 4pm underworld, presented a file in the
Balwa’s lawyers have
A Crime Branch officer India’s equivalent Maharashtra Assembly
admits spot-fixing is
8 contested the underworld

are no strangers
rampant and that the of the Italian mafia, is a (obtained through an RTI
links and said there is no
underworld is to blame. more nebulous body, there is application, a copy of which is
The guilty get away evidence of the same.
little debate that it controls all While Dawood with SI India) showing that Union
because there is no strict
law to implicate them. Anyone remotely acquainted with the world nefarious cricketing activities remains a shadowy Minister Sharad Pawar flew to
of south Asian cricket will tell you that it sur- that go on through the year. figure, security Pawar Dubai in the company of Balwa

zero
vives on the kind of networking that would The Underworld, in turn, pays sources believe admitted and Goenka on Feb. 8, 2010. BCCI
Easy information before the India-West Indies World Cup make a lobbyist (corporate or not) proud. its dues to Dawood, who is he returned “hiring sources said other members of
It’s also not unusual for team information match in Chennai (a day-nighter), they to control
DegreeS
The superstars of this world are undoubt- believed to be based out of aircraft” the BCCI and ICC were also on that
to be easily available to equally unusual hadn’t even finished breakfast when edly the cricketers, and like any other super- Pakistan and West Asia. betting owned by flight, at Pawar’s invitation.
quarters despite the penalties involved in they were told that bookies had already stars, they attract attention of every kind, in 2008.

of
Balwa, said
passing out confidential matter. declared that Chris Gayle would not be the good, the bad and the downright crimi- it was not
On some of the recordings available playing the game. nal. For the most, these men are honest and Middlemen and bookies Pawar is head of the International

separation
the only
with us there are references to team in- wear the national colours with pride, know- have long been the bane of There has been Cricket Council, of which the
company he

U
formation being available to a middle- ntil that moment, there had been no ing fully well the responsibilities that come Asian cricket. The illegal talk in the BCCI Anti-Corruption and Security
hired from.
man via a top player agent. There is also indication to the mediapersons— with donning the India blues (or whites). betting industry in the about screening Unit is an operating division
a casual reference to a national selector cricket reporters all—accompanying The problem lies with the miniscule num- subcontinent is estimated the backgrounds (of the ICC Code of Conduct
being at the receiving end of favours in the teams that there was anything of player agents
4
ber who believe that this is the only time they at $20-30 billion and the ICC sources Commission). Interestingly,
exchange for bringing a certain player wrong with Gayle or that he would be can make the really big bucks before form or lack of any legal deter- and licensing them, Y.P. Singh, the ACSU’s chief
told SI India that
7
into the India team. skipping the match. A few hours later, the injury or age sees them permanently booted rents to fixing (there’s only but there’s nothing investigator-designate, was
Pawar was “unaware” of
According to the version of a group news was confirmed. Gayle did not play. out of the team. the inadequate Gambling concrete so far. part of the CBI team that
Y.P. Singh’s joining the
of journalists who met several hours Someone in the know had obviously al- When these players get together with Act) means its body. was probing the
agents or managers of a similar mindset, or worth the risk. While The ICC is 2G scam.
indicate they are open to under-the-table small-time cricket’s govern-
suggestions, they become perfect tools for bookies play the odds, ing body and therefore has

world cup betting rackets busted shady managers or businessmen who have
become part of their charmed inner circle.
bigger ones often live off fixing the
odds. They need access to players, directly
ultimate jurisdiction over the activities of
all players, umpires, support staff and cricket
The police in the Capital went into overdrive during the biggest event of the year How it works, according to bookies and se- or indirectly. Officials believe some officials. This group, incidentally, is the
curity officials, is through verbal recommen- player agents play a big role most vulnerable in many ways
Raid on cases arrested cells seized laptops seized amount bet
Feb. 20 03 08 30 04 `2.78 crore
dations and personal introductions at parties
and events. Once a player gets sucked into 6 in their getting this
access.
because of its direct,
on-field access.
5
March 11 01 05 38 02 `1.35 crore
this trap, it’s nearly impossible to get out,
March 2 01 03 12 01 `1.00 crore
as those with ultimate control of the multi-
March 8 02 05 13 02 `3.79 crore
billion dollar illegal betting business, will go
March 11 01 02 09 02 `1.00 crore
to any lengths to protect their interests.
March 25 04 11 55 03 `3.00 crore
March 26 01 03 03 - `0.40 crore
March 31 01 03 13 01 NA
April 4 05 14 36 03 `1.82 crore
ready passed on that information. other reward that could bring him or the certain players being “more approachable”
Total 19 54 209 18 `15.14 crore It may be recalled that in May 2008, game of cricket into disrepute”. Samuels, All in the know and they also keep a strict watch on them.
West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels was who has repeatedly denied involvement, had The Who’s Who of this shady world, inciden- “But there’s only so much you can do,”
THE IPL... SO FAR suspended for two years by the West Indies allegedly been caught on tape by the Nagpur tally, are well known to security agencies. an ICC official told SI-India. “It’s not that
Raid on cases arrested cells seized laptops seized amount bet Cricket Board disciplinary committee for police in February 2007 for giving match- Officials of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and we are unaware of the situation or the ru-
April 21 01 02 04 - `3.5 crore breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct. The related information to an Indian bookie Security Unit (ACSU) are also well aware of mours. We also get any number of tip-offs
*source Delhi Police. *IPL data upto 26.4.2011
Source: Delhi Police. Data for Delhi and the National Capital Region through April 26, 2011 charge: He received “money, or benefit or during the West Indies vs. India ODI series. the rumours that frequently surface about and see which ones seem more serious.

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 SPECIAL
REPORT I cricket in a fix

PCB POWER the facts of the matter

While the BCCI seems to believe that
if they ignore agents, they will go While the BCCI seems to believe that if they ignore agents, they will
away, Pakistan has been proactive go away, Pakistan has been proactive in framing strict regulations

These government-approved regulations Who is a Bookie?

are applicable to anyone wanting to act For the most, bookies are random individuals who have little, or just more than a little,
as a player’s agent. Some of the more interest in the game. Their primary aim is to create a network of punters and, if they are
interesting points are: big players, manipulate the game in the way that would maximise their profits. The big
Registration bookie in the betting and bookmaking business is called the ‘Kingpin’. He doesn’t gener-
A potential agent has to first fork out Pak ally accept bets but only takes a cut from the rest of the bookies.
Rs. 10,000 for the PCB application form
and then submit that with supporting How Kingpins Work
documents and Pak Rs. 2 lakh. They are often well-connected people, who get in touch with players through mutual
Scrutiny friends, acquaintances or business associates. They then party with them, sometimes
The PCB will take about two weeks from travel with them, and stay in constant touch. In many cases they are ‘special friends’ with
the date of application to scrutinise the one or more players; players who treat them as sounding boards or confidantes.
application and the Director, Internation- Once they become close enough to the players to call them, talk to them anytime,
al Cricket, could ask for additional anywhere in the world, they start making calls of different bets, and deciding the rates for
information/documents, which have to the betting market. The level of interaction and influence depends on the person involved
be submitted within a fortnight. and where he/she (though a bookie is normally male) wants to take the business.
Background checks
The PCB could also require the applicant Networking
to get police clearance from the area or The network is vast. Punters are spread across the world, and bookies don’t ever use their
country of residence; from the agent's real names. Sometimes, a punter will not even come in direct contact with a bookie. A
home board and the Pakistan High Com- Kingpin typically has 20 to 25 people working under him, expanding the network, which
mission there. Within four weeks, if the mainly consists of punters who bet at different levels. Bookies have a point spread
application is successful, he is registered, (agreed on verbally, or in the form of chips or coupons), aimed at guaranteeing a profit.
but only till Dec. 31 of that year. March 17, 5.30pm Like with a casino, the rule is that the house should always win.
Suspension Source meets SI India in Paharganj,
claims a top bookie rigs matches
The registration of any agent can be with the help of an international umpire. Punters
suspended and he and the cricketer(s) he They are like the small branches of a tree. They collect money from customers and do
is representing will be notified. In such a dealings. In many cases, they bet themselves. There is no need for them to be present in

the disturbing
situation, the cricketer(s) has to There’s so much access [to players] that travelling with players. person. Almost all deals are done over the phone.
immediately sever all business relation- it’s difficult to control everything. There’s So while agents or managers are not
ships with the agent. also the fact that unless you actually catch allowed in or near the dressing room on Technology
Criteria for being an agent
He has to be of good character and
someone in the act [of accepting or saying
he will accept money], we don’t have a leg
to stand on if it comes to taking action that
part was the match days, they have free access to play-
ers outside the stadia.
It must be mentioned here that many, if
A signature tool is a big, safe, box—called a black box or big box—which can be seen
wherever a big bookie is in operation. The box contains all the technological parapherna-

arrest of two
reputation in the PCB’s opinion; have lia of the bookmaking operation, including the mobile phones that are distributed to his
no conviction involving dishonesty or will hold if challenged legally.” not most, of these managers have no back- agents. Laptops are used to keep a record of all dealings and allow access to the software
deception or moral turpitude in Pakistan ground in the business of sport or sports that keeps track of the records (popularly known as ‘bookies software’).
Access is everything
students and a TV
or his country of residence; cannot be administration and no training whatso- Every phone conversation goes on record, which becomes a tool in the hands of the
bankrupt or subject to bankruptcy It’s not just about the players being vul- ever—financial or otherwise—in handling bookies in case people refuse to pay their dues. The internet also aids the operation.
proceedings; cannot, during the past 10 nerable though. Disturbingly, some of the sportsmen, forget those raking in the Betting websites can be checked for continuous updates on rates and odds. Rates are
years, have been censured or disciplined
in Pakistan or his country of residence;
conversations we have recorded have centred
around the alleged activities of an inter- cameraman with mega-bucks.
There was reportedly a suggestion from
changed as often as ball-by-ball scores.
In addition to small/pirated software available in the market, Price Per Head (PPH) is

property dealers.
had a professional licence revoked; and is national umpire, who, according to several within that the Indian board regulate and the most reliable, and widely used, programme.
not an officer, employee or consultant of bookies, is a fast friend of the mysterious “Dr. register these agents but nothing concrete Mobile phones, software and other technology have made it very easy for bookies to
the PCB, or any cricket body. Saab”, the man who reportedly controlled has come to fruition. Meanwhile, bookies, operate with relative impunity.
Accounts
Agents cannot have a conflict of interest
in any situation or have someone else
betting syndicates operating in and around
New Delhi during the World Cup.
The BCCI, which does not officially rec-
— Ashok Chand, middlemen and businessmen run rampant
in the world of cricket.
Change is the need of the hour, as is ac-
What is PPH and “Back 'N' Lay PRO”?
PPH and “Back ‘N’ Lay Pro” is software created for online casinos, sportsbooks and poker
act on their behalf. They have to detail
biannually to the PCB, a full list of the
ognise player agents or managers because
board officials believe they are easily ac- DCP, Crime Branch, countability, ensured by both the Indian
cricket board and the Indian government.
activities. A bookie can sign up to get this software enabled on their sites by paying a
small fee. The software takes care of figures, moving lines and reports. The bookie can
cessible to outsiders and put players at risk, Otherwise, we run the risk of a 2000-like
Delhi Police
cricketers they represent and the spon- access these services anywhere, any time. These services are cheap and legal.
sors of those cricketers. also does not seem to have the power (or situation and a loss of faith, in the system, SOURCE: CRIME BRANCH, DELHI POLICE
the inclination) to ban these agents from in the players and in the game itself.  ±

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