You
can bet on technology to deliver, but using technology to bet on a game is a
no-no, says a tech fan.
BC: Hi, why the morose look?
AD: My biggest passion in life – besides
technology – is cricket. And look what they've done to it…
BC: Unfortunately, both your passions have
colluded to create this disaster.
AD: The problem is one of human greed and
money. Why do you blame technology?
BC: It's technology that has helped bookies
go state-of-the-art in their methods to gamble and fix...
AD: Wasn't there any betting before
computers, mobiles and the net? I’ve read so many scandals about boxing and
horse racing from the past. Wasn't there a movie on a baseball team that had
fixed a World Series?
BC: Yes, Eight Men Out – it’s a story about
eight players of the Chicago White Sox fixing the 1919 World Series for money. Since it
was a one-off incident, it led to a movie. Today, there are so many betting and
fixing incidents that one can make a long-running mega serial out of them.
AD: And you think it's because of
technology... But look at the positive side of it too - it's finally technology
that's helping the police smoke the offenders out of their hiding places.
BC: You’re referring to the sting
operations and phone call recordings...
AD: The authorities are also analysing the
mirror images that they have obtained of various laptops and mobiles involved in
the scam - these would not have been possible without technology.
BC: So you have technology coming to the aid of both the people trying to cheat and those trying to nab them. The question
is, who's winning?
AD: You have to wait and watch. But the
bookies are reported to be getting very tech-savvy in their approach. They are
even recruiting young hackers, programmers and tech specialists to tamper with
servers, hack websites and create programs for their operations.
BC: Surely, the authorities can follow
their digital footprints and track them down...
AD: Apparently, these bookies never use the
same set of equipment twice - from mobiles and SIM Cards to laptops and
servers, they destroy everything after use so that they are never traced. Also,
all the SIM Cards and handsets used are either stolen or bought in the
second-hand market, so they don’t lead back to the bookies.
BC: Which brings us back to the point I was
making - technology is giving the bad elements a free hand...
AD: Why? Do you really think bookies with
pencils and little notebooks from your time were better than the bookies with
pen drives and notebooks - of the electronic variety - today?
BC: According to reports, bookies use
devices known as link boxes, which allow them to handle several calls
simultaneously. And all the calls and bets placed are recorded to ensure that
there are no goof-ups. Besides, no one can go back on their word after losing.
Also, conference calls keep everyone in the loop. Such things were not possible in my times…
AD: Sounds like a well-oiled corporate set-up,
doesn't it?
BC: But it could get worse. Can you imagine
the situation if social networking sites are used for this purpose? With the
amount of traffic that’s on these sites, code language will go completely
unnoticed even if it appears on your friend's wall or as a tweet.
AD: That would be disastrous...
BC: But I agree with one thing that you’ve always been saying – technology
has sure made things a lot quicker…
AD: How do you say
that?
BC: There was a time when one had to wait for five days to know the
result of a test match. Then it became one day, with ODIs, and then around four
hours, for a T20. But now, with the right connections, one can figure out which
way a match is going to go, even before it begins.
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