Betting in Telangana touches 3,000 cr

Hyderabad: Political betting appears to have picked up momentum in Telangana after the first phase polling in the region on April 30. A whopping amount of around Rs 3,000 crore is staked by bookies on the outcome of the elections in the newest State, which would be announced on May 16. According to bookies, TRS is poised to form the first ever government in Telangana.

The bookies have found a smart way to escape the eyes of cops by coming up with a novel concept of 'friendly betting.' The friendly betting is done between closely knit groups instead of with public at large, which is a common practice in cricket.

According to sources, about 5,000 bookies are on the job across 10 districts of Telangana fixing bets to a tune of crores of rupees every day. The sources say that district and mandal headquarters have emerged as betting dens in many districts of Telangana.

In Hyderabad, Begum Bazaar, which is the hotbed for cricket betting, has also topped the list of dens for political betting. Other areas like LB Nagar, Dilsukhnagar, Himayathnagar, Abids, Basheerbagh, Kukatpally, Jubilee Hills, Miyapur, Chandanagar, ECIL and Banjara Hills too are popular dens in the city.

The cops have confirmed that the issue of `friendly betting' came to their notice. They added that it is difficult for them to crack on such betting for obvious reasons.

'We have heard that friendly political betting is being held across Telangana. These betting are conducted between very close friends. You cannot catch people who are involved in such betting as nobody complains,' said a senior police official.

As per the trends available from the betting circles, it is TRS which is expected to form the first government in Telangana, by securing more seats in the Assembly than Congress. Odds against Congress are very high, compared to TRS.

The money risked on prospects of Congress is higher than TRS. The sources reveal that the bookies are offering Rs.20 for every single rupee risked by punters predicting a landslide victory for Congress, whereas every rupee staked on TRS is offered just Rs 5.

'General mood in Telangana suggests that the TRS would romp to victory with a comfortable margin. Many media reports have also indicated towards this direction.

This has resulted change of mind among many bookies and prompted them to bet on the victory of the Congress Party,' a bookie said.