Amidst the roar of the crowd and the thrill of the game, the Cricket World Cup stands as a beacon of sporting prowess and national pride. Yet, beneath the veneer of excitement and camaraderie lies a world tainted by greed, corruption, and a shameless exploitation of the passion for cricket.
The BCCI, the governing body of cricket in India, basks in the glory of its exorbitant wealth, amassing a staggering ₹6,558.80 crore from the tournament alone. This astronomical figure dwarfs the GDP of many small countries, a stark reminder of the immense financial power wielded by the cricket establishment.
While the BCCI revels in its riches, the players pocket hefty sums, their salaries far exceeding the remuneration of most ordinary citizens. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah, the crème de la crème of Indian cricket, each walk away with ₹7 crore, a mere starting point for their earnings. To this, add an additional ₹6 lakh per match, a testament to their ability to transform passion into profit.
As the players bask in their financial success, the officials of the BCCI lead a life of extravagance, their lavish lifestyles a stark contrast to the struggles of the common man. Their opulent homes, luxurious cars, and extravagant vacations paint a picture of a world far removed from the realities of everyday life.
And amidst this whirlwind of wealth and privilege, the bookies, the shadowy figures lurking in the background, thrive on the insatiable appetite for gambling. With their clandestine operations and shady deals, they exploit the passion for cricket, transforming it into a lucrative business venture.
In this realm of cricket, where greed and corruption hold sway, the fans, the true backbone of the sport, are left with a hollow sense of satisfaction. Their hard-earned money, spent on tickets, jerseys, and other merchandise, fuels the coffers of the BCCI and its cronies. Their countless hours spent watching matches, often at the expense of sleep and other commitments, are a mere spectacle for the entertainment of the privileged few.
The Cricket World Cup, once a symbol of sporting excellence and national unity, has morphed into a stage for the brazen display of wealth and the covert operations of those who seek to profit from the passion of the masses. The fans, the true bearers of the cricket spirit, are left with the bitter taste of exploitation, their genuine love for the game overshadowed by the greed and corruption that taint its very core.
The exact earning of the bookies in the recent cricket world cup match is unknown as they operate in an illegal and clandestine manner. However, it is estimated that the global illegal betting market for cricket is worth around US$100 billion per year. This means that the bookies could have potentially made billions of dollars from the recent Cricket World Cup.
For example, in a study conducted by the International Centre for Sports Security (ICSS) in 2018, it was found that the illegal betting market for the Indian Premier League (IPL) was worth around US$3.4 billion. This suggests that the betting market for the Cricket World Cup could be even larger, given that it is a global tournament with a much larger audience.
The bookies make their money by taking bets on matches and then paying out to the winners. They also charge a commission on all bets, which is known as the "vigorish" or "juice". The vigorish is typically around 5-10%, and it can be a significant source of income for the bookies, especially when large sums of money are being wagered.
In addition to the money they make from betting, the bookies can also make money by manipulating matches. This is known as "match-fixing", and it involves a player or players agreeing to deliberately lose a match in order to favor the bookies. Match-fixing is a serious problem in cricket, and it has led to the suspension or ban of several players in recent years.
The illegal betting market for cricket is a complex and dangerous world, and it is difficult to estimate the exact amount of money that the bookies make from it. However, it is clear that they can make billions of dollars from major tournaments such as the Cricket World Cup.
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