Hyderabad: Bookies are busy cashing in on the lockdown fears. They are betting on whether or not the state government will impose a fresh lockdown. As per the latest buzz, May 2 is the date of interest for the bookies.
Speaking about the betting rackets in the city, P. Radhakrishna Rao, DCP of the Commissioner’s Task Force, said they were cracking down on the cricket betting crowd since the IPL season began. “We have booked six people in three cases for the IPL betting. As this is more organised, we are able to detect and bust the rings easily.”
“Those betting on lockdown predictions are, however, unorganised and it happens either as a one-to-one case or in less-organised manner, making it difficult for us to track, trace and arrest them,” said the official.
Those who place bets on matches and games said since the Covid-19 pandemic has forced cancellation of sporting events, bets are now being placed on the dates of a likely lockdown, the infection rate, the death toll etc.
“Usually the money placed on lockdown dates has a longer-term validity. Short-term bets included infection and death counts in different cities. During the initial lockdown phase, the public was mostly placing their bets on when the restrictions would be lifted. If the odds are in favour of Coronavirus, it means you are betting that the cases will rise or the lockdown will continue,” said a punter who placed bets in the last few months.
City police officials said that apart from keeping an eye on the usual punters and betting hubs during the IPL season, they are on the lookout for those placing bets on lockdown restrictions as well. “We do not know how the nature of betting has changed after the pandemic, but we will continue the crackdown against such crime networks. Our teams are monitoring all the cyber operations,” police officials said.
