Bookies say he was so sure of an Indian victory that he placed all his bets on the Men in Blue; Rs 25,000 crore was bet on the match from across the world
Team India’s dogged determination despite losing the wickets of Virendra Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar in quick succession spelt doom for bookies, even as it helped a popular south Indian actor net a cool Rs 40 crore.
The actor, who was sure of an Indian victory, placed all his bets on the Men in Blue.
“Some Bollywood celebrities held a meeting with bookies at Lokhandwala before heading to the stadium. Lekin saara paisa woh Madras ka hero le kar gaya ,” lamented a bookie.
Bookie losses Odds oscillated wildly throughout yesterday’s match, with India ceding the favourites tag to Sri Lanka after Tendulkar’s early exit.
The Men in Blue started out at 57 paise, which climbed to Rs 1.18 when India was 31- 2.
The Sri Lankans then became favourites with their odds at 81 paise as opposed to the Rs 1.70 they had started out with.
Things changed again when Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli consolidated the innings without letting the asking rate shoot up.
“We had to switch off our phones for more than 15 minutes to avoid taking more bets on India. It was only after Kohli fell to Dilshan that we accepted bets again. But Dhoni’s knock made India the firm favourites one more time. God was not with us and we lost a lot of money,” said a bookie.
Sources said more than Rs 25,000 crore was bet on Saturday’s match in cricket- loving countries such as India, Pakistan, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand and Dubai.
Source: mid-day
