For better or worse: Pakistan’s first ‘halal’ betting website launches for PSL

Players use virtual money to place bets on various matches, scenarios on punterbabu.com

KARACHI: Any person watching football or cricket matches online would definitely have seen endless adverts for betting websites popping up on screen. While sports gambling may be a favourite past time for many across the globe, it is still illegal in the Subcontinent.



But comedian-singer Ali Aftab Saeed, the frontman of Beygairat Brigade, may have come up with an ideal model for local punters to display their skills and allow their adventurous streak to flourish — all without the fear of losing any real money.



Titled Punter Babu, the website is set to become the country’s first officially legal betting platform according to Saeed, and start by focusing on the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The 30-year-old compared the betting website to the popular Facebook game Zynga Poker. “We would allot punters [players] virtual money and they can place bets on different scenarios within the game such as the batting order or who would take the most wickets,” he stated.

Reiterating that the website would only be making use of virtual money, there are bound to be concerns regarding people trading in their points for real money; similar to the online poker game. “Even in Zynga [Poker], it is illegal to trade in your chips for real money, and you can get blocked if are you are caught,” he said.



While loopholes in the poker game may allow its users to cash out their virtual chips, Saeed remarked that the nature of Punter Babu makes it nearly impossible for that to happen with his brainchild.

“In Zynga two players will usually sit on the same poker table with one of them deliberately losing to the other person, but in Punter Babu you are playing against a computer system,” he said.

Even though the website is expected to launch on February 4 or 5, Saeed says that it is still a work-in-progress. Like with many start-ups, funding seems to a major issue. “The current user interface that you will see is quite average, but we are aiming to develop a more engaging page which would become active in the next few months.”

Although no real money is involved, there is still a chance that the concept may not go down too well with the more conservative. Saeed feels any criticism across those lines would be “uncalled for”, drawing parallels with fantasy leagues operating across the globe. “Even in fantasy football, users use virtual cash to draft a player into their team and then hope that he performs so that they can earn more points — essentially that is betting as well,” he said.

While fantasy leagues have not really been a success in Pakistan, Saeed remains confident of bucking the trend, hoping that the hype surrounding the PSL and the “engaging” dynamics of his website will prove to be the difference.

“In fantasy [football], your job is restricted to just selecting a team — the user is literally helpless during the match. But with Punter Babu, the player would be involved throughout the game,” he elaborated.

Launching alongside the PSL, Saeed revealed that for now they are working on a browser version for the website, while plans for a multiple-platform application followed by a Facebook game are also underway.

Initially expected to cater to just cricket matches, Punter Babu plans to branch out into other sports such as football and tennis in the near future.