BENGALURU, 21 MARCH

As the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicks off in Chennai on Friday, the betting circles in Bengaluru have become buzzing again. 

Small-time bars are the hub of betting in the City and they have spruced up their environs with extra TV sets and special food menus. “We are offering complimentary snacks for customers who are coming during IPL matches,” said S Shivanand, a bar owner in Bengaluru East.

Bets placed in these local bars typically range from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000, with punters primarily comprising construction workers, daily wage earners, and roadside vendors. Betting is illegal, but IPL is the season of large-scale betting in the City and “there is nothing much we can do about it, he said. “Our main concern is preventing fights among intoxicated individuals who may lose significant sums of money.”

CSK start as favourites against RCB in season opener 

Seasoned punters are favouring Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. “Ruturaj Gaikwad, who captains CSK, is one of the most consistent batters in the IPL. Last season, he batted with aggression and couldn’t convert the starts into big scores. With the addition of aggressive New Zealand batter Devon Conway to the team, Gaikwad might take fewer risks. *The addition of Rachin Ravindra, a batting sensation of New Zealand, has increased the odds in favour of CSK*,” a bookie, who didn’t wish to be named, said.  CSK is one of the favourites for bookies in the City and local punters said the men in yellow have all the tools to win Friday’s game. 

Difficult to track betting websites 

Betting websites often don't require users to register with original Aadhaar cards or other ID proofs, facilitating anonymity in transactions. This makes it difficult for police officers to track them. Popular apps used for online cricket betting, such as Bet365, Dream11, Parimatch, Fairplay and 1xBet are readily available on PlayStore.

Bookies employ fake ID cards to start communication via WhatsApp, complicating tracking efforts for cyber police, said cybercrime expert Mohammed Reza. “Bookies obtain SIM cards with fake IDs, activate them and create new WhatsApp accounts. They then destroy the SIM cards and use WhatsApp to communicate with other bookies and punters. Police can't track them because WhatsApp has a dynamic IP address which changes every 24-48 hours and all their messages are encrypted as well,” Reza said.

How does IPL betting work? 

Bets cover a wide range of outcomes, from coin toss results to the number of runs scored per ball, sixes and fours, top bowlers, total wickets, player performances, and catches. Punters typically initiate contact with local bookies to place their bets. These local bookies then engage with the main bookies who determine the match odds. Main bookies, often able to predict match results logically, invest punters' money based on probable outcomes. —Salar News