Mumbai:
For bookies in Mumbai, who made big money taking bets on every ball bowled during the Indian Premier League (IPL) and are reportedly even taking bets on when it will start raining, the Ajmal Amir Qasab verdict is something that they will not touch with a 10-foot-pole. The reason? It's unpatriotic.
"Bets on Qasab's verdict could have touched a staggering Rs 1,000 crore, that's almost double the Rs 500 crore that changed hands during the IPL matches," said Rameshbhai, a bookie from Thane.
"We do not mind paying the government Rs 1 lakh each to get rid of Qasab," said a bookie, who goes by the initials BM. "There is no question of laying or accepting bets on his judgement," he added.
Those in the big league, like Shoban Kalachowkie and Julie usually register their bets through D-Company's syndicate. Other bookies like Jayanti Malad, Laku Masalawalla alias Praful, Samrat and Manoj Metro, route their bets through Dubai. All these bookies are reported to be steering clear of betting on the verdict.
Sources said that bookies in Pakistan may bet on the judgement, but they will have to place bets among themselves, as their Indian counterparts are not interested in betting on what they call India's biggest enemy.
The bets between Pakistani bookies and their Indian counterparts are conducted through Dubai, but it is very unlikely that any business will take place as far as this issue is concerned.