Cricket fans not the only winners
From Satinda Bindra, CNN Mumbai
MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- The first international cricket series between India and Pakistan on Pakistani soil in over 14 years is creating more than just a wealth of goodwill between the two nations -- it is also a bonanza for India's betting operators.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are being bet on every single game in the historic clashes, despite the fact that cricket gambling is illegal in India.
The industry is controlled by India's criminal underworld and a network of powerful bookmakers, and police readily admit it is hard to make arrests.
"The police can't catch us. From top to bottom we grease a lot of palms. That's why our business is flourishing,'' one bookmaker, who does not wish to be identified, tells CNN.
Flourishing may be an understatement.
The business is so well organized that the bookies are recording all calls and odds change every few minutes depending on the state of the game.
And, perhaps surprisingly given the criminal connections, gamblers who win do get paid and those who lose -- as many as 80 percent of participants -- pay up.
"They don't mess with us. They know if they don't pay they won't be able to feed their habit and won't be able to play in future," another bookie, in the business for over a decade, told CNN.
"They are also scared of a circle that includes top politicians and underworld dons.''
Customer satisfaction is the key to his success, he says.
Even the police grudgingly admit bookies have what they describe as "honor among thieves."
"There is a certain amount of ethics among these guys. You work on a trust, whereby you go and establish your name,'' Mumbai police commissioner Ahmed Javed says.
Police say it is tough to arrest either the bookies or the gamblers because they work on the move, mainly through cellphones.
Some bookies argue that if they cannot be caught, the government may as well legalize a multi-million dollar business.
But many gamblers say they prefer the business to stay underground to avoid paying tax on their winnings.
