'Delhi's youth betting heavily on cricket World Cup'

Students and young adults in Delhi have topped the list of those betting the most on the ongoing cricket World Cup with the money of the wagers ranging anything between Rs.15,000 to Rs.80,000, said a study by an industry chamber.

Around 2,500 young adults were a part of the survey conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), under the aegis of Social Development Foundation, in seven major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bangalore.

"School and college kids are seeing the world cup as a windfall chance to make some quick money... (They) are even selling off their personal belongings to bet on their favourite teams and players," said Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat.

Delhi is closely followed by Mumbai where the amount of bets range between Rs.10,000 to Rs.60,000 and Chandigarh Rs.10,000 to 40,000. Hyderabad is betting the least at Rs. 500 to 10,000 on a match.

According to the survey, the exhilaration of gambling combined with a chance to make a quick buck are the key elements behind the craze. It is also expected that kids would be able to make Rs.2,000 to Rs.15,000 per week during the duration of the cup.

The youth are betting heavily on the emergence of the Indian team as the winners followed by Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka while Sachin Tendulkar is being touted to be the player of the tournament.

Interestingly, many of these 'gamblers' are athletes in their respective schools and colleges and are utilising their sports insight in making predictions. They also sought that cricket betting be made legal.

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