With the added flavour of the Tharoor-Modi faceoff, bookies in the capital have a gala time
With the added flavour of the Tharoor-Modi faceoff, bookies in the capital have a gala time
So who did you put your money on? Chennai or Delhi? Mumbai or Bangalore? Tharoor or Modi? If you have chosen to be good rather than a better, then you are of course an honest, law-abiding citizen. But you are also missing out on a lot of action. For the satta market in the current Indian Premier League season is really colossal. By a bookmakers estimate, the total money wagered over the whole season across the country could be about Rs 20,000 crore. And the odds are that he's not far off the mark.
Apart from the matches being played, a lot of money is at stake on the off-field action. According to a few top bookies operating in the National Capital Region (NCR) Shashi Tharoor, minister of state for external affairs, is the odds obn favourite to win his ugly battle against IPL chairman Lalit Modi. "Rates are in favour of Shashi Tharoor but there is a narrow margin between him and Lalit Modi. While Tharoor is pitched at Rs 3.25 Modi is a lesser favourite at Rs 5.50," said a bookie on condition of anonymity.
On Friday there was huge activity in the satta market as the controversy was at its peak. It reached its zenith in the evening when both Tharoor and Modi started giving official statements to news channels. "There was a time when people even started to speculate on who out of the two would be forced to resign," he added.
While the Tharoor vs Modi battle was the real money spinner, the future of the Kochi IPL team too played its part. Most bookmakers believe that the Kochi team will remain even after all the brouhaha. People bet their money on the team's survival with the odds at 5/8.
"Though everybody believed that the team would not be withdrawn, it still made for an interesting contest and players booked their money. Though that part of the betting did not last long and was over by the evening," said another bookie.
While no one was exactly forthcoming to explain the intricacies of the business and the numbers involved, bookies confirmed that the market grew exponentially during the evening. "Actual estimate is difficult to guess but several lakhs were at stake in the last one or so hour," said a bookie.
Bet your life
A 32-year-old man committed suicide in Ooty on April 13, apparently after losing a huge amount he had bet on Monday's IPL match between Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore, his family said.
V Mahesh, who owns a travel agency, was found hanging in his house. His brother V Rajkumar alleged that he had wagered a huge amount on the match. After Deccan Chargers beat Royal Challengers, Ramesh incurred a loss to the tune of over Rs 4 lakh, Rajkumar said.
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