Bets from UK to US see India as strong favorite to win cricket World Cup & pave the way for Olympics
In Australia, Sportsbet is offering 1.4 times the amount for bets on India winning the game, less than half the payout for an Australia win at 2.9 times, as of Friday. Betfair, based in the UK, presents a similar payout, with an India win earning speculators 1.49 times the money they wager, less than half of the payout for Australia at 3 times.
Sportsbet and Betfair didn’t reply to emails seeking comment; except for horse racing, sports betting is prohibited in most Indian states.
“The odds of India winning are higher, and they’ve been a favorite this entire tournament,” said Anish Badshah, Seattle-based founder of BETTR Edge, a betting market analysis provider. “But the match is between two of the best teams.”
The clash will be held in front of 130,000 spectators in the Ahmedabad stadium named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his home state Gujarat.
A win would add to a year of important milestones for the leader ahead of elections next year, after Delhi held the Group of 20 nations summit in September and India achieved a moon landing. A victory could improve Modi’s chances of getting elected for a third term in the cricket-mad country.
“A sporting win certainly gives some credibility to a governing party,” said Binoy Kampmark, senior lecturer in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University in Australia.
“And it helps that it is cricket, considered India’s national sport.”
The game also comes as India hopes to host the Olympics for the first time in 2036, while cricket will be formally included in the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles. However, its bid could be undermined by criticism of India’s hosting of the Cricket World Cup, with problems including last-minute scheduling and chaotic
