Bookies eye windfall of 8,000 crore in Cricket World Cup

The illegal cricket betting racket is estimated to generate a profit margin of around Rs 8,000 crore in the ICC World Cup. This target has been set by the big- time illegal cricket bookies' syndicates, which control the global betting racket.

Apart from India, Pakistan and Dubai where the betting stakes are huge, large sums of money are also being invested in the gambling racket from London and Russia in the World Cup.

One of the leading bookies in Mumbai claimed that the favourites are either Sri Lanka or South Africa or England, and hence a large number of bookies are not backing India as the eventual World champion.

According to bookies, one of the highlights of the predictions of bookies is, whether India will enter the semi- finals which is to be played on a bouncy pitch at Mohali in Chandigarh.

Bookies have assessed that India's performance on bouncy pitches is not up to mark and hence India's chances of clinching the cup are slightly remote.

One of the big- time bookies disclosed that the match fixing syndicates are not too happy with M S Dhoni as they have been unsuccessful in cultivating him for spot fixing, for the World Cup matches.

" Our worst fear is, Dhoni who is rated fourth among the world's ten best batsmen in one day cricket, could cause huge losses to bookies in the Indian Premier League tournament which is slated for 8 days after the World Cup finals. If Dhoni continues to take an adamant stand on keeping away from spot fixing in the IPL, profits margins of bookies will be substantially reduced," claimed a bookie.

It is learnt that in the last IPL matches a powerful syndicate of diamond exporters lost around Rs 4,500 crore in the betting racket which they hope they will recover in the 2011 IPL tournament.