The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may be richer by Rs 350 crore this year, thanks to the Indian Premier League (IPL). But the illegal betting network has seen business worth 65 times this amount.

Bookmakers across the country have done business of about Rs 22,500 crore before the IPL semi-finals and final. Each match saw betting of Rs 400 crore or more.

The tournament, however, had bookies puzzled over predictions. “Teams have mixed players, some from other countries and some rookies. Predictions were difficult,” said a Borivli-based bookie.

This was also why punters lost around Rs 15,000 crore in the tournament. “Initially, the Bangalore team was pegged to win while Jaipur was last in the list of favourites,” the bookie said. While Bangalore eventually made an embarrassing exit, Jaipur made it to the semi-finals. The only team that did not let the bookies down was Chennai.

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