Punters shift focus to cricket betting apps

Hyderabad: The punters are back. With the cricket fever reaching a feverish pitch with the Indian Premier League (IPL) beginning, cricket betting gangs, both local and interstate, are back in business with organisers luring mostly students, private employees and jobless youths. This is that time of the year when the police too are busy carrying […]

Hyderabad: The punters are back. With the cricket fever reaching a feverish pitch with the Indian Premier League (IPL) beginning, cricket betting gangs, both local and interstate, are back in business with organisers luring mostly students, private employees and jobless youths.

This is that time of the year when the police too are busy carrying out frequent raids on gaming houses and busting betting rackets. Over the years, the practice of punters placing bets through phone calls has shifted to the current trend of cricket betting apps, and with that, the possibility of hacking, data theft and financial fraud by cyber crooks is also rampant.

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Unlike in the past, when a cricket betting organiser would call each punter from his contact register over the phone and place bets based on information from television, technology has paved the way for mobile phone line connection boxes, where multiple lines are connected to a single device and several punters can place bets at a single time.

The current trend, officials say, is cricket mobile apps, where bets worth rupees crores are placed across the country. There are at least 25 such cricket betting apps, which are popular with bookies and punters alike.

Cybercrime officials warn of financial fraud during the process. “Usually, a punter has to register on these cricket apps using personal details, contact number and bank account details. As they are illegal apps, there is no regulation on them and there is all possibility of the data falling into the hands of cyber fraudsters who could misuse it,” a Cyberabad Cybercrime official said, adding that some punters were also borrowing money from online loan apps for cricket betting and ending up in huge debts.

According to the police, the betting network has no boundaries, with several inter-State gangs from Mumbai, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat strengthening the network with bookies, sub-bookies, collection agents and money transporters, apart from hundreds of punters. The network uses fake GPS apps, cricket apps and SIM cards to escape police radar.

“It is advised not to run for easy money through such illegal means. Students, job aspirants and small vendors are soft targets,” the official said. Based on the past raids conducted in the city, Secunderabad, Begum Bazaar, Ghansi Bazaar, Madhapur, Kukatpally, Gachibowli, Sultan Bazaar, Mangalhat, Kompally, Begumpet and a few parts of the Old City are where the city’s punters and bookies are based. Organisers are setting up temporary gaming houses, in apartments, residential complexes and hotels as well.

 

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