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Want to bet on anything, come to Hansi
From Raman Mohan

HISAR, April 13 — The Hansie Cronje episode has sedated Hansi — the betting capital of Haryana — situated 25 km from here. Inquiries by The Tribune reveal that betting has witnessed a big slump after the Delhi police registered a case against the South African Captain on charges of fixing the one-dayers against India.

No bets were accepted by the bookies for the South Africa-Australia day-night one day international (ODI) played last night much to the chagrin of compulsive betters. While a majority of the cricket bookies have been underground since the Cronje story hit the headlines, others have stopped accepting bets as a precautionary measure.

It is learnt that in a match involving India, the amount of bets usually exceeds Rs 1 crore in Hansi alone. But in the case of neutral matches (not involving India), the betting money under normal circumstances could be anything between Rs 50 to 60 lakh. But last night, most bookies had their telephones off the hook.

Though betting business in Hansi is more than seven decades old, cricket betting began here about a decade ago after the cable TV brought the action right into the peoples’ bedrooms. During matches bets are placed here in a bizarre manner. In addition to bets placed even before the commencement of the match, cricket lovers from all over the state place bets throughout the play. Even the outcome of the toss is heavily betted.

As the play progresses, ball-to-ball bets are a routine phenomenon here. What will happen on a particular ball can involve several kinds of bets. Such bets are also placed without involvement of bookies. Usually, a group of 10 to 15 friends watch the match together and bet on every ball. A complete account is maintained by one of them and the amounts are paid off as soon as the match ends. Last night’s South Africa-Australia clash attracted only this kind of betting in the absence of bookmakers.

Inside sources say that Hansi’s cricket bookies usually restrict the amount of individual bets to around Rs 20 lakh. Any bet involving an amount higher than this is usually passed off to bigger bookmakers in Delhi and Mumbai. This helps them keep their financial involvement within manageable limits.

Sport betting in Hansi is limited to cricket though some bets are placed on Grand Prix tennis matches too. But the amount and extent of betting in this case is negligible.

Though nobody exactly knows how betting began at Hansi, the people of this area are compulsive betters. In addition to cricket, the town is also known for election time betting where the stakes are much higher than those of cricket matches. During a Lok Sabha or an assembly poll, the betting amount usually exceeds Rs 100 crore mark, if the betting is nearby Bhiwani, which is emerging as a rival to Hansi in this business, is also taken into account.

Politicians too bet heavily in this market since the satta market could make or break their chances in the poll. In addition to keeping their chances in the election bright, this also helps them keep their black money in circulation with a good chance of earning a sound return on investment. However, as with any kind of betting, the chances of losing money in this kind of betting are also equal.

The betting instincts have become so strong in this area now that Hansiwallas are also known to bet on whether it will rain on a particular day or not during the monsoon. The amount of rainfall is also involved in such betting. There is a library near Delhi Gate in Hansi where the rainfall is measured in special lotas. Old hands say the rooftop of the library is such that if you pour a lota of water there, it will flow out of the drain in the same quantity without any absorption. True or not, but betters rely on the lota measure to calculate rainfall. Over the years Hansi has become the betting capital of Haryana. Bets are now placed by bookies in other towns of the state with local bookies. However, the mainstay of the betting business is the illegal matka — an unofficial lottery run by matka kings from Delhi and Mumbai. This kind of betting goes on throughout the year and usually involves an amount of Rs 5 lakh a day.

Betters, however, describe the lull in cricket betting as temporary. They expect that betting will resume once the heat generated over the Cronje episode dissipates. Till then, you can enjoy your cricket without tension of earning or losing money.