The cricket betting market in Gujarat placed bets totalling Rs.200 crore on the Indian Premier League (IPL) match here between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils, a source said Tuesday.
According to the source, the amount was substantially higher than the normal amount bet on such matches elsewhere in the country. The Rajasthan Royals-Delhi Daredevils match was played Monday.
With the police keeping a vigil, the bookies adopted new methods to outmanoeuvre them, according to the betting market source.
Instead of conducting business through multiple mobiles from a flat or business establishment, the bookies accepted bets through internet and kept moving in large vehicles.
"The rates were declared at least five hours in advance on the internet and bets were taken on various parameters like total score per side," the source said.
The bookies shifted base from scrutiny-prone urban areas to the safer confines of tiny towns in Gujarat even before the IPL series began.
This came to light when police raided a farmhouse in Kagrol village in Sabarkantha district a week ago and unearthed a ring engaged in taking bets on the Australia-New Zealand cricket match in Hamilton.
Eight people were arrested, Rs.800,000 in cash and 66 mobile phones were seized. They had hired a farmhouse hoping it would not be detected.