Calcutta: The Calcutta Bookmakers’ Association (CBA) scored a major victory over a powerful stewards’ lobby, which was trying to get the use of mobile phones approved by the state government.

CBA, at their Sunday’s meeting, stre-ssed that takings (bets) through the legal channels have gone up since RCTC got into the act after The Telegraph exposed the nexus – between the RCTC security staff and the phone users – in these columns on September 3. Five ph-ones were confiscated the following day.

“Nearly seventy per cent licensed bookies are against the legalisation of cellphones;” said S.K. Sharma, president, CBA. “We will inform the stewards of the decision on Tuesday.

Even the government has been against such an idea. In the past, the objection from the concerned department — the office of the Agricultural Income Tax Commissioner (AITC) — has been raised against the use of phones on the following grounds:

The license granted to the turf club and the conditions governing the operation of the licensed bookmakers clearly specify that all bets, placed on horse races, must be with the licensed betting operators — RCTC’s totalisator and bookmakers, and that to in the designated spaces and enclosures licensed by the government.

It further specifies that betting taxes must be collected on all such bets and deposited with the concerned departments. Usage of mobile phones within the racecourse premises will obviously entail wagering with non-licensed and illegal operators outside the licensed premises. Collection of taxes on such bets will be impossible for the government and, therefore, liable to a huge loss in revenue.

Some of RCTC club members and stewards are, however, least concerned about the sliding daily collections of taxes at books and also at the totalisator.

The AITC has not changed its stand on the issue. “The department’s notification is clear on the issue. We haven’t been approached by the race club yet.” said an AITC official when contacted on Friday.