Bettor be good!
It can be as simple as saying, 'I bet it will rain today'Gambling, or the good ol' betting, has always been practised at different levels in our society. In most cases, it doesn't even have to involve money or commodities, for that matter. It can be as simple as saying, 'I bet it will rain today', and the outcome can just gratify the winner.

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Matching bids
Modern day betting is simpler, safer and more foolproof than ever before
By Shahzada Irfan Ahmed
Gambling dens and casinos have always been an attraction for thrill seekers, especially those having legal restrictions on having such facilities in their countries. Even if there are some dens, the commoners don't have access to them and the right to entry is limited to the privileged few. Pakistan is just a case in point where gambling is quite popular among the masses despite being declared illegal under the local laws.

Like many other things, our response to gambling is ambivalent. We concede that life is all about risk-taking but shun a certain type of risk-taking that qualifies as gambling, betting or God forbid juaa. We do not shun easy money if it's in the form of raffle tickets or prize bonds and claim it as a matter of right. What's casually agreed between friends - a dinner an ice cream or money up to a few hundred bucks - is kocher too. Beyond that it's sinful if not criminal.

But come cricket season in our part of the world and all distinctions blur. The underworld reappears as does talk of match-fixing but the fascination with the game stays.

This Special Report may well be pegged to the crackdown on gambling dens in Lahore or to the death of Bob Woolmer. But actually it was our own sense of curiosity about an activity that's becoming more and more organised that pulled it off, finally.

All moral judgements apart, it was found that gambling or betting today is being done in the most transparent way - based on absolute trust and honesty. Modern technology is made full use of and the ignominy of being seen in a gambling den easily avoidable.

Gambling as part of literature, as style, and a serious problem for the families are issues that have all been touched here. You bet, we wanted to do it.

Usman Cheema is a business development expert and is currently running a harmless cricket world cup sweepstake exclusively for his friends.

"This is not about making easy money, though easy money never hurt anyone, but basically this is just to make the world cup more interesting -- not just the Pakistan matches but the Scotland versus Holland matches as well. I give one point for each correct prediction for a match winner and then ask bonus questions for another point each. The bonus question I ask can be about anything and everything to do with a particular game, like will a boundary be hit in the first over, or how will the first wicket fall or how much would a particular player score and so on and so forth," Usman explains the details of his little 'betting syndicate'.

The truth is that betting on cricket offers endless possibilities of raising the stakes with very little limitations. You can bet on any thing and everything under the sun related to a particular game, beginning from the toss and ending with the last ball of the last over.

But this is true for almost all sports. Betting in soccer for example also has limitless possibilities, with punters betting on the number of substitutions, the number of saves a particular goalkeeper shall make, the first goal scorer, the margin of victory, the timing of the goals and so on and so forth.

Cricket, however, remains the South Asian favourite largely for its popularity with the masses -- which ensures greater stakes, and greater booty for all concerned. Cricket's mega betting cartel originates from India and thrives in the streets of Mumbai. Many believe the illegality of betting in India and Pakistan has driven the activity in the hands of the Mumbai underworld -- which in turn has given rise to match fixing.

Mumbai's underworld has an iron grip over betting in cricket whether it's in Sharjah, South Africa or Pakistan. "The control of betting in cricket lies with the Indian underworld -- which I believe is the most influential underworld as far as cricket playing countries are concerned," says Imran Yaqub, a regular punter who places his bets over the phone to a syndicate in Karachi which he believes is directly linked with an Indian betting cartel operating from Dubai.

The rise of One Day Internationals gave betting a huge impetus in the subcontinent -- with the results coming in quicker. Betting truly took root in the region after India's success in the 1983 world cup. The development of the one day game complemented betting and the Mumbai underworld turned it into a multi-billion rupee operation. When the stakes grew, it was only a matter of time before the influence of the strong Mumbai underworld started surfacing into match fixing -- allegedly with the direct involvement of cricket players.

To protect their heavy investments in the business, it only makes sense for the underworld gangsters to manipulate results and use all possible means at their disposal to achieve this. "It is no secret that these bookies often approach players either to lure them or force them to fix results or particular events in matches. Instances of cricketers' family members being kidnapped or threatened to ensure particular results are almost as prevalent as cricketers accepting monetary benefits in exchange of fixing matches," says Imran who blames the underworld for the high prevalence of match fixing in cricket.

Examples from other sports in other parts of the world, however, present us with counter arguments to this theory. The huge match-fixing scandal that rocked the Italian Serie A Football League last year had even club owners involved in the racket and threatened the existence of some of Italy's and the world's most prestigious football clubs. The lure of big money was enough incentive for clubs to try and fix matches and coercive force was not necessary.

In South Asia, however, it seems quite important. It is a matter of no surprise then that reports of involvement of Pakistani, South African and Australian cricketers with bookies have always originated from Mumbai police, instead of any law enforcement agency in these respective countries. Thanks to their informers in the Mumbai underworld, the Indian police has always been reasonably good at keeping tabs on the affairs of cricketers involved in match fixing.

When Hansie Cronje admitted to fixing matches and Herschele Gibbs admitted of having being approached by his South African captain, the entire cricketing world was rocked by the extent of influence the betting mafia enjoyed in cricket. The Mumbai police said back then that the involvement of the South African captain was only the tip of the iceberg and that matters were far worse and warned of consequences far greater.

The then South African Coach Bob Woolmer who was coaching Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup 2007, has, according to police, been murdered in his room after Pakistan was defeated by minnows Ireland. Links between betting and Woolmer's death are rampant. Have the warnings of the Mumbai Police actually come true?

"May be we have lost faith in everything -- even our own loss. Why do we have to believe that our team conspired against itself? Why couldn't we have been beaten fair and square," asks Usman Cheema.

The reason is that influencing the outcome of a game to win a bet is a natural inclination. "I still remember I was playing a match in the cricket ground in Lahore's Race Course Park. A man walked up to me and told me how he had placed a bet on me that I would not be able to score more than 15 runs when I came out to bat. He begged me that he was very poor and needed the money, so he would be extremely obliged if I got out before getting to 15. This was just a game amongst friends and some passers by had gotten together to make an extra money. Just imagine what the stakes would be in a professional game. I, by the way, got out on eight in that particular game," says Imran.

For Usman, however, the little betting game has allowed him to sustain interest in the world cup despite Pakistan's early ouster. It seems that is 'kosher' until he decides to approach the players for 'favourable' results.

"Betting patterns and methods have gone through a massive reshuffle due to technology advent in our part of the world in the last ten years," a bookie told TNS.

He pointed out the different modern gadgets in his room and said with a smile: "They have made my life very easy. Just 10 years ago I had to go to Karachi to bet on horse races that would cost a lot in the form of air fares and other living expenses. But now, sitting here in my room, I can bet on Derby races of South Africa, UK, Hong Kong and Dubai or any other game playing in any part of the world."

According to him, gambling means have become high-tech, thanks to computers, mobile telephones and internet. Your physical presence is not needed now for betting on a match or race.

We were allowed to visit his room because of a common friend. The room had every available device used for communications in the modern day. Out of the three television sets in the room, two were showing different matches of the ongoing Cricket World Cup while the third was showing Derby races of South Africa. Two persons who appeared to be laymen were feeding some data into the computers continuously, while another was browsing the internet. Four PTCL land lines, three wireless phones and four mobile phones were constantly busy. Two other persons were writing bets of different punters on paper against their names.

One phone with its speaker activated was connected to some big bookie who was setting the rates of all three games. "During a cricket match this line is permanently connected with the bookie until the match ends. The bookie is the one who quotes the rates to me while he himself is on another line with another big bookie who tells him the rates and so on. In this way, an international network of communication is established during the matches," he said.

He also had the Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) source and electricity generator as alternative arrangements because a gambler cannot afford TV sets or computers shut down due to load-shedding.

According to him, cheaper telephone rates played a critical role in making betting so easy for them.

"Just six years ago we had to pay Rs 600 per hour for a dedicated telephone line from Australia to bet on a cricket match being played there. We used to work in a group of three or four bookies and shared this amount as the cost of one dedicated line for the whole match easily crossed Rs 4500. But now the rate has dropped to as low as Rs 24 per hour and that is also one reason why the number of betting centres is increasing in Pakistan," he said.

While talking to us he was continuously talking to his bookie and punters through different phone lines to share the latest rates of different teams.

According to him he has never met almost 50 per cent of his punters, "They come through different references and we only talk to each other on telephone."

Betting volumes during a crucial one-day international cricket match, one that could involve India and Pakistan, can exceed Rs 10 million. The betting volume for the ongoing World Cup is estimated to be above US$4 billion, and 90 percent of bets are booked through phones and internet.

When we were about to leave the place, the bookie showed us another monitor that presented the outside view of his house from two different angles.

"I am using close circuit cameras to update myself with the activities going on outside my house," he said.

Although gambling is banned in Pakistan, there are numerous underground networks working here. Karachi and Lahore are the main hubs with hundreds of betting centres and gambling dens. These are linked with each other mostly through telephones.

According to a bookie based in Lahore, the information about matches that determine rates come mainly from India, "Most Pakistani bookmakers' operations are mainly dependent on bookies based in the Indian city of Mumbai," he told TNS. Some have links in Dubai while a few have direct links in South Africa, the hub of every kind of gambling.

The rates of different teams are also available on the internet. According to him different softwares exclusively designed for the betting industry are also available in Pakistan, "These softwares guide bookies about the progress of a match, its rate, punters and their limits to bet. If a punter exceeds his fixed limit the software will indicate it immediately. They also tell in whose favour the betting volume is in and what should a bookie do. At the end of a match they also indicate the point where a bookie placed a wrong bet and how much it cost him," he told TNS.

He added that a bookie would never allow a punter to bet on mobile or wireless phone, "They only allow one to bet on landline because they have to tape the punters' voices since mobiles and wireless phones do not offer the facility. They tell you the rates on mobiles or wireless phones but when you want to bet, they ask you to come on landline to be on the safe side," he said.

According to him, there's a perception that in Pakistan bets can only be placed on cricket matches but it is not true. "We bet on every game available on cable TV or through a satellite receiver decoder."

"Betting on horse racing is a high-cost affair. It involves a satellite TV decoder costing around Rs 75,000 in Pakistani market in addition to Rs 17,000 per month charges to renew the card." he said.

Gambling seems to be as old as civilization itself. Historians believe that the very first game was casting various stones, shells and animals bones. These objects were the prototypes of the dice. Documental evidence of the first games is stored in the British Museum. Among this evidence are dice, made by an unknown Egyptian craftsman from the elephant's tusk (16th century B.C.) and a board for playing draughts, also called checkers which belonged to the queen Hatchepsut (1600 B.C.).

Historical evidence attests that all ancient civilizations played dice. The people played odd and even, cast dice in the circle or threw them, trying to hit certain openings. Dice were also widely used for fortune-telling. It is also interesting that the players treated dice with nearly reverent concern, as if the dice were alive: the players talked to them, whispered charms and tried to persuade them to bring victory.

Since their emergence dice almost at once became one of the most venturesome gambling games. The players placed everything in their bet: money, things, dwelling and even freedom (ancient Germans who lost in dice humbly became slaves). At the same time there appeared various lawful bans on this seemingly harmless game. For instance, in the 3rd century B.C. the first known in history law against gambling games was adopted. It was called Lex aleatoria (alea means a die).

The first mention of gambling in the sub-continent appears in the epic tale 'The Mahabharata' (composed between 300 B.C. and 300 A.D.) where one of the characters Yudhishthira wagers and loses all that he possesses: his lands, his kingdom, his brothers, even himself, and eventually his wife in a game of dice.

Cards are the most favoured items of choice today. Some researchers argue that the first playing-cards appeared in China. In the Chinese dictionary, Ching-tsze-tung (1678), mentions that cards were created in 1120.

Other researchers call Egypt the homeland of cards. The Tarot deck was used for fortune-telling. It had 78 sheets arkana (22 seniors and 56 juniors). The pictures on the senior arkans correspond to golden tables, which are preserved in the dungeon of the god Tote in Egypt.

It is assumed that Mughal emperors brought these cards to India in the sixteenth century. Once established, the cards spread to most regions of India either in the original form known as 'Mughal Ganjifa' or its later Hindu form known as 'Dashavatara Ganjifa'.

Other traditional forms of gambling here are 'Pasha' which is a dice game that is played on the ground. Animal fights are also extremely popular. These include goats, fowls and roosters.

Animal racing is also another sport that enjoys gambling status. These races are mostly of horses and dogs.

-- Ali Sultan

Gambling, or the good ol' betting, has always been practised at different levels in our society. In most cases, it doesn't even have to involve money or commodities, for that matter. It can be as simple as saying, 'I bet it will rain today', and the outcome can just gratify the winner.

With staged events such as a table-tennis match or car racing, the thrill aspect just increases multifold, if a wager is made.

However, now with the influx of up-to-date information regarding both national and international events via the internet, betting has become all the lot more doable.

Cricket matches remain the top attraction for heavy bettors, but now many more alternatives are fast becoming hot favourites. Various sites such as pakistanbet.com, betasia.com and betusa.com offer live odds ranging from English Premier League matches to 'American Idol' results. The current odds for the latter are to the tune of $155 payout on $100 for Chris Sligh's elimination to a whopping $6000 on $100 for Lakisha Jones.

The site bookmaker.com is a favourite among amateur bettors, as it offers the ease of a mobile service as well, that can be availed from cell phones and PDAs. Registration is usually free and open for all countries at such sites and while some may require payments for actual bets, others offer a credit to hook potential gamblers. Betting amounts range from $5 to $20,000 and even more for high-end clients.

The outcome of the 2008 US presidential elections has provided another portal for playing the odds. Yet, this event in particular has a delayed end-result and so the odds are still 50:50 for a republican or democrat candidate. Though on an individual basis, Hillary Clinton being the most likely presidential elect has the lowest odds at 250 whereas the republican hopeful Rudy Giuliani is closing in at 300. Imagine if this event was to be fixed solely for gambling wins!

-- A. Omar

Gambling dens and casinos have always been an attraction for thrill seekers, especially those having legal restrictions on having such facilities in their countries. Even if there are some dens, the commoners don't have access to them and the right to entry is limited to the privileged few. Pakistan is just a case in point where gambling is quite popular among the masses despite being declared illegal under the local laws.

This doesn't mean that the world ends for Pakistani enthusiasts eager to place their bet on anything under the sun. There are several 'illegal' gambling dens here, reportedly run by influential people in collusion with the local police. But visiting them and trying your luck there is not as simple as it seems. Such visits are fraught with risks like those of confronting roughnecks, facing police crackdowns or being fleeced by swindlers. Besides, a routine visitor to a gambling den is not a much respected figure in our society and looked at with suspicion.

In this backdrop, getting an opportunity to place your bet from the confines of your home without any fear is nothing less than a blessing. The whole system is so foolproof that it is hardly possible to cheat anyone. This is something offered by the highly organised bookmakers who are strongly interlinked besides being scattered all over the globe. Betting is possible on different games like soccer, rugby, athletics but the most popular of them, in our region, are cricket and horse racing.

All that one has to do is sit in front of the TV screen, pick up one's phone and call a bookmaker (a bookie as he is fondly called), and put one's stakes on the possible outcome of a sporting event being played at that time. Bookies are everywhere and their number in metropolitan cities like Lahore and Karachi can and is thought to be quite high. But in smaller cities like Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Hyderabad two or three of them will suffice.

The modus operandi, as described by a bookie to TNS, is that the main bookies connect with the hub -- the place from where the rates originate -- via a dedicated and an uninterrupted landline. In case the rates (of return on stake money) in a team's favour are originating from Mumbai, the call between the main bookies in Pakistan and those at the hub (Mumbai) will remain connected for the whole duration of the game.

Pakistani bookies keep checking rates, which keep changing as the game proceeds, with bookies at the hub taking orders from punters calling them on another landline. The bookies keep a small margin for themselves and quote a slightly revised rate for the punters or their sub-agents. The ongoing communication between the bookies and the punters is recorded to maintain transparency and stop any of the parties from retracting on their commitments. In case a dispute arises, the council of bookies meets and decides after hearing the verdicts of all the parties and examining the evidence provided at that time.

For the purpose of elaborating the system, we can take the example of a team A playing against team B. If the rate in favour of A over B comes out to be 25 paisas, it means putting stakes in B's favour at that time can make you win four times the amount that you have put at stake in case B wins in the end. Punters can play safe if they keep on intelligently placing orders throughout the game. A favourite team can turn non-favourite anytime; it takes a couple of wickets or scoring hits to change the situation. At this point, watchful punters put their stakes in such a way that the loss caused by losing the earlier bet can be minimised. You can bet on both team's victory during different sessions of the game -- something called hedging in this trade.

"The rate in favour of a cricket team is not decided just like that; a lot of brainstorming and analysis of available statistical data is required before reaching such a decision," says Azhar Husain (name changed on request) who regularly places bets on matches and is based in Lahore. He says that figures like batting and wicket averages of players and teams, their recent performances, wicket type, result of toss and other factors are always considered by bookies before floating a rate and punters before they place any bet. Considerations like a player's child being in hospital are also accounted for as, in the eyes of bookies, this would hurt his performance in that day's game.

Azhar says the recovery mechanism is smooth and there are little chances of default. No one can place a bet without being referred by someone already known to the bookie(s). The bookies maintain records of new entrants' financial status and their maximum limit (the amount they can put on stake) as suggested by their referees/guarantors. "The bookings are made on phone during the game and settlements made the next day," he adds. This one can do by selling one's vehicle, wife's jewellery or any other valuables. The fear of being blacklisted and barred from betting in the next game is the biggest factor that makes a punter clear his liabilities at any cost. "There's a saying that a heroin addict can mend his ways but a betting addict can't," Azhar adds.

The bookies, on the other hand, help their co-professionals in case any of them defaults for reasons not under his own control. "I can recall an incident where 30 bookies got together and started a committee worth Rs 100,000 per month. The amount collected in the very first month was given to a bookie to clear his default that was to the tune of Rs 3 million," says Azhar.

Horse racing is another game very popular with punters. Live races are shown on a horse racing channel that can be seen only with the help of a decoder; the cable operators have been restricted by PEMRA from relaying it over their cable networks. Exhaustive details like timings of races, countries where they are taking place, names of horses and their track records, names of their owners and trainers and even the body weights of race jockeys are downloaded from the internet. All this information is pasted on a large sheet of paper which is given the name of 'Handicap Sheet.' Jumbo size photocopies of these sheets sell like hot cakes and stay the most precious asset for punters throughout the day.

An official of a federal investigation agency tells TNS that though illegal on paper, betting with the help of bookies seems to have the support of the powers that be. "It's the simplest thing in the world to track a bookie but no one asks us to do that. If we can detect illegal telephone exchanges by tracking landlines having abnormal traffic flow during odd hours, we can also trace bookies whose landlines remain busy throughout an 8-hour game of cricket," he says.

Gambling literally means to take great risks for the sake of possible advantage. Risk-taking is man's nature. It is commonly said that nothing ventured nothing gained. But only upto a point where it does not affect others. When it does, it is irresponsible and society greatly disapproves of it since it disturbs the balance. The first and foremost thing it demands from an individual is responsibility.

We exist in relation to others so we are responsible for our decisions and actions. When TNS tried to contact families of some gamblers it found out that women, whether they are wives, mothers or sisters, did not like to talk about it. Most of the families we approached said there is no such thing. This does make it difficult to get to the bottom of the story but definitely shows that our families are still very integrated. There are friends, relatives and neighbours who have stories to tell though.

Aamir (name changed to keep privacy), who is in his early thirties, returned to Pakistan from South Africa two years back. During his stay there he was lucky to have made a lot of money. He bought both residential and commercial property back in his hometown. When he returned home from South Africa he took to gambling and got addicted to it, throwing caution to the wind. He ended up selling both his commercial property and the house in which he was living. The loss amounts to Rs 20 million. He developed psychological problems and is now under treatment. His elder brother suffered a nervous breakdown on learning about Aamir's misfortune. Now both the brothers are undergoing treatment. Aamir's family comprising a wife and two young children is dumbfounded. The story was told by a close friend of Aamir.

Some of the known incidents all of us can easily recall -- where the families ended up paying a high price for gambling -- include the one in Sherakot, Lahore in which the whole family of a bookie was burnt, another in which a father lost his daughter and yet another in which a man lost his wife.

Small time gamblers like card players are found in every other place who place small bets and waste a lot of time. What they win is peanuts and what they lose is insignificant too. What they really lose is 'time'. It seems they have nothing better to do in life. But there are wives and mothers who wait till late at night for the gamblers to return home.

It seems that women in slums have come to terms with it. In slums most women go to work while most men get together to play cards.

Irresponsibility, whether it is with finances or conduct, puts the immediate relations of the gamblers in trouble. But our experience has been that, trouble or not, the families are on the gambler's side.

-- Saadia Salahuddin

'Juaa', though officially frowned upon, was a very popular part of the pre-partition Indian society. Even highly notable names that are part of the glorious history of Urdu literature such as Mirza Ghalib indulged in traditional forms of betting. Typical settings were the courts where courtesans, wine and card games were the usual affair. This scenario involving gambling came to be associated with persons of fine taste and substance. However, backdoor games based on 'Taash ke patte' were and still are an active pastime for the working class.

In the cultural lore of the Indian subcontinent, 'baazi lagana' has been traditionally considered a real man's move. The protagonists of some legends are depicted to risk it all for the love of a beloved.

The concept of winning back lost or forcibly acquired resources has been glorified in various contemporary films. In the Oscar nominated Bollywood film 'Lagaan', the ordinary folk of a lowly village in British colonial India were shown to free themselves from the yoke of taxation. The struggles of petty villagers were glorified in the setting of a cricket game against a team comprising of English officers. The lead of the movie, played by Aamir Khan, was hailed as a hero for having the guts in orchestrating the entire wager.

Authoritarian figures, whether they exercise power in a small town or an urban setting, are often depicted as exploiting the helpless state of individuals. Villainous persons take delight in playing around with the stakes of an oppressed one and assert their might by displaying indifference.

Certain prominent personalities in the mafia underground have gambled so prolifically and with such impunity that they have made a fabulous lifestyle out of it. The typical Don figure has amassed a lot of wealth from all sorts of illicit activities such as smuggling, insider trading and money laundering. This is the kind of person who also enjoys a lot of influence in government circles besides having the clout to pre-fix outcomes of various matches in his favour. Along with other high-rollers, this gang boss attends lavish parties with top models and film actresses on his arms. One such alleged fashionable gambler based in Karachi is viewed as a people's champion and a national hero. The flipside though is that he has been labelled as an international terrorist and his name is on several most-wanted lists.

-- Aziz Omar

Profile of a bookie...

A poky, little room, stacked with a 14-inch TV, a cheap-looking Pentium III, a dinner table with half a dozen telephone sets wired to tape recorders that are lying carelessly about, and virtually no chairs around. That is local bookmaker Hanif's (real name not disclosed) 'business centre', pared down to the essentials. Housed on top of an old-fashioned, multi-storey structure overlooking a crowded street in interior city, this is the place where the 37-year-old bookie made, and lost, and then re-made, his first million -- on a single cricketing bet.

It's quarter to 6 in the evening. In fifteen minutes or so, Hanif and his staff (of four boys) will have launched themselves into an activity involving intense concentration and stress, like they do on a usual 'workday'.

As Matthew Hayden opens his innings in St John's lush green stadium ground, the computer boy has already clicked open a 'betfair' website, back in the congested, smoke-filled room of his employer. The rest of the boys line up on the carpeted floor next to Hanif who is sitting laser-focused on the net. From that point on, the phones don't stop ringing.

Over cups after cups of tea, and cigarettes upon cigarettes, Hanif studies the rates that change with every ball being played on the ground. He also has an ear on the calls coming in. God knows, it's a job all right.

For Hanif, it's an addiction that he can't and "don't want to" help, despite the enormous stress levels it affords him.

"It's a kind of a business where one goes through periods of excessive sweating, low blood pressure, and headaches every single day," he tells TNS.

Stomach ailments and bad throat are also the order of the day, because of his smoking and eating binges.

"See, you can't miss the thrill there is in gambling. It's about easy money," he adds, rather contentedly.

A plain-spoken, simple person with no claims to high intellect or social graces, Hanif talks about his MBA degree (from a local university) when prompted, but is quick to point out that the 'business' actually thrives on "native intelligence, honesty and mutual trust".

"A professional (bookmaker) rarely incurs a loss, because he can sense which caller is honest or otherwise. Besides, of course, those who turn out to be defaulters know that they won't live to bag another deal with you ever." Grins.

The business, according to Hanif, also has no room for social or racial prejudices. "A Hindu bookmaker will never shift his loyalties just because his bet may be a Muslim. And vice versa."

However, all betting by the callers must be audio-taped for record, in order to avoid any confusion over the rates.

Fear of being caught is the last thing that is on Hanif's mind. "The police extort 'monthlies' from the bookmakers they lay their hands on. The reason I've managed to escape their greedy eyes is because I enjoy the trust of my mohallah people as well as those who deal with me."

Part of the trust he inspires in others is thanks to his various philanthropic acts.

"I can say this with a great sense of pride that I am not into alcohol or womanising. I also don't splurge on shopping. I'd rather be helping a poor and needy person who comes to me for help," he declares.

Having spent over 15 years in the business, Hanif says that he would like to call it quits some day and jet off to England for higher studies. As for now, he has millions and millions to make before he goes to sleep!

-- Usman Ghafoor

Gambling not involving direct cash transfers may happen for several different reasons. The foremost is actually in case of failure to pay up money that has been lost in a wager. Collateral such as items of value may be offered on condition of paying the cash amount on a later date. This often turns into giving up the pledged stuff for keeps altogether. In some reported cases in Pakistan, such instances have entailed horrific exchanges.

Just last month, a case surfaced in Hyderabad involving a now 16-year-old girl that had been pledged in her infancy. Her late father had been a compulsive gambler, and in one instance of losing Rs. 10,000, promised his then one-year-old daughter to the bookie.

Although her mother has repaid the debt, she is still being forced to hand over her teenage daughter in accordance with the local tribal customs.

On a lighter note, non-monetary products are routinely put at stake in minor bets in all social classes. Amateur street racers usually do not incorporate sums of cash in their high-speed duels, as most of them clearly deem it unIslamic as well as to avoid bitter feuds.

Though cases involving pledging the cars themselves have occurred between two private parties, the more common group-oriented races may have, say, a restaurant treat at the most. The latter is also an option in many intra-school, college and university level sports matches such as volleyball, football, basketball and, of course, cricket. One may fondly recall one's school days when 'coke botal ki shart' was a popular aspect of various one-on-one games.

In some cases, including betting on sporting events such as international cricket and soccer matches, assets such as property deeds or files thereof are pledged as alternatives to currency. This is done on independent lines other than playing the official odds and may simply depend on a final win or loss outcome. It is a possible way to avoid being implicated in gambling charges that may be filed on basis of monetary evidence.