As the IPL in the second season warms up and gets exciting, the communication companies have jumped on to the bandwagon. They have launched a SMS based programme in inviting the fans to predict the scores of a live match. The modus operandi involves inviting the viewer to predict the runs that would be scored in the next over of the match. If the viewer is able to project the score correctly, then he can go laughing all the way to the bank.
The element of excitement has been added by inviting the viewer to predict the runs that would be scored of each ball of the next over. For each correct score to the nearest ball, i.e. the people guessing six, five or four numbers in the sequence correctly will get a percentage of the kitty generated by the total number of people playing at that time.
The minimum prize money for every over is Rs 10,000 and based on the response there are distinct possibilities that the prize money would be increased. Each SMS for this new game would cost Rs 5. It would indeed open a new source of revenue for the IPL along with the communications companies which would be given the service contract for facilitating deliverance of SMS. The revenue so earned would be much bigger than that earned by any company in any other programme which is based on the SMS feedback.
Jury is out on the fact whether it is illegal or not, as it is being construed as a form of online betting that does not have legal sanctity in India, IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi does not consider this innovation as a form of betting in the garb of testing. He holds the view that this new innovation is an extension of the testing, which has become sine quo non of quite a large number of programmes being shown on the Indian TVs, and cricket also being a reality show; it does not have any resemblance to online betting.
International Cricket Council is also not aware about this move, but it would also not be able to take any action as it does not have any direct involvement in the IPL. The game, christened as 6UP, will be available only to Indian mobile subscribers.
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