Nagpur: Bookies in Nagpur got bowled over by the unexpected twist in Sunday’s India-Pakistan match in the T20 World Cup being played in Australia. The bookies who believed India would lose for sure, had bet more than Rs 500 crore on India’s loss. They happily accepted money from those betting on India’s victory. But the match took a dramatic turn in the last over. While the punters betting on India’s victory made a fortune, the bookies suffered a major blow on the eve of Diwali, a report in a local daily said.
According to the report, the bookies had already made special preparations for the T20 World Cup. Since the match between India and Pakistan is a high-voltage affair, it was expected that there would be a lot of betting. It was 50-50 at the start of the match. However, due to the performance of the bowlers, India’s rate went up to 35 paise. That means those who bet on India’s victory would have got Rs 350 on Rs 1000 bet, the report stated.
India started to bat and the rates in the betting market changed rapidly. The price of Pakistan’s victory went from 10 paise to 12 paise, while India’s rate increased enormously. Claims were being made by the bookies that India’s victory was not even a possibility. So they accepted huge amounts of money without compromise. But the Virat Kohli-Hardik Pandya pair pulled off the impossible-looking victory and the bookies were left stunned and sulking. They lost hundreds of crores on Diwali, the report claimed.
According to the report, there was celebration among the winning bookies. Many people from Itwari, Jaripatka, Mahal, Sakkardara, Gandhibagh, and many other areas had placed bets on the match through various channels.
The bookies across Nagpur City and district seemed to have no fear of police. The bookies were active through various apps including Telegram, but no one came under police radar.Most of the police force seems to be deployed for Diwali bandobast, and so could not keep a watch on the bookies and the betting business, the report added.
