Champions Trophy 2017 | India vs Pakistan attracts bets worth Rs 2,000 crore
BCCI
Not only are the fans eagerly awaiting the India-Pakistan battle, but this encounter is also a favourite for the bookies. According to estimates by the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), around Rs 2,000 crore will be gambled on Sunday’s Champion's Trophy final between India and Pakistan.
India entered the finals of the Champions Trophy after beating Bangladesh in the semifinal by 9 wickets and will face Pakistan on Sunday. AIGF calculates that in this high-voltage match around Rs 2,000 crore will be wagered.
"It has been estimated by many studies that roughly a total of Rs 2 lakh crore is wagered on all matches that India play throughout the year," said Rolland Landers, CEO of AIGF as quoted bt TOI. "And since this is the first time India and Pakistan will be meeting in the final of a cricket tournament in around 10 years, the bets are high."
According to reports, Virat Kohli-led India is the hot favourite in the gambling market. However, the margins on an Indian win are not very large. For example, if one bets Rs 100 on Team India, and the Blue brigade wins, then they stand to earn Rs 147, according to Betfair. On the other hand, if Pakistan wins, they can win around Rs 300.
The 10-year gap seems to be one of the major drivers behind the high level of betting and the bookies don’t want to miss any chance to earn money from the match.
"The outcome of the match is just one part of the betting exercise. One can also gamble on many other aspects of the game, such as 10-over score by each team or even total scores by both. Although gambling is illegal in most parts of the country, Indians can lay their bets through UK websites through their international credit cards and e-wallets," said Landers.Â
