In this guide, we will delve into online betting laws in India, suggest some of the best legal betting sites, and discuss what the future holds regarding further legislation in the country. Read on below for answers to all your burning questions!
MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION
- Is Online Betting Legal in India?
- Offline Betting vs Online Betting – Differences in Legislation
- Is Betting Legal in India? A Quick Round-up
- Is Online Gambling Legal in India? Is it Safe?
- Games of Chance vs Games of Skill
- 10 Best Legal Betting Apps in India
- How is Online Gambling in India Taxed?
- Restricted Betting Sites in India
- Online Betting Legality in India: Possible Outlook
- CricketBettingAdvice Final Say
- Online Betting Laws in India Resources
Is Online Betting Legal in India?
Online betting has witnessed significant growth in India, with a projected revenue of USD 0.82 billion in 2023. However, this thriving market faces several hurdles in the absence of clear laws, leaving things slightly unclear for punters as to where they stand legally.
In reality, online betting regulations in India are marked by ambiguity. This lack of clarity often deters potential bettors as they remain in a dilemma.
In this section, we will explain the existing gambling and betting regulations surrounding the current legal landscape in the country. We’ll also help you determine whether online betting is legally permissible in your specific region.
Is Betting Legal in India? An In-Depth Probe
A. Central Laws
The Public Gambling Act of 1867 is India’s primary law concerning betting as a whole. However, as it was drawn up well before the advent of the internet, it does not specifically address the legality of online betting in the country, nor does it explicitly declare it illegal.
B. State Laws
The 7th Schedule of the Constitution allows each state to make its own rules about gambling and betting. As a result, some states have recently formed their own regulations. Here are some important points to note:
- Offline casinos are legal in Goa, Daman, and Sikkim. Everywhere else, they are illegal.
- Online domestic casinos are legal in Sikkim and Meghalaya, provided they have valid licences.
- Online domestic casinos are illegal in every other part of the country.
- Offshore casinos and betting sites online are not prohibited except in Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
C. The Reserve Bank
To address online betting within the country, FDI policies were drafted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to regulate the flow of money from Indian companies engaging in betting, lotteries, and gambling activities.
However, these rules generally don’t apply to betting apps or sites based outside India, such as 10CRIC, Betwinner, and Parimatch. This means that you should be able to access the latter without facing any legal repercussions.
In summary, just like with the central laws, there’s no specific policy from the Reserve Bank of India that clearly says online betting is illegal.
So, is Cricket Betting Legal in India? If you sign up to any bookmaker listed in our above table, you can legally bet on cricket without any legal consequences. However, it’s worth checking your local state laws for any updates on online betting.
Offline Betting vs Online Betting – Differences in Legislation
(Source: 10cric)
- In India, the legislation governing offline and online betting varies significantly from state to state.
- Offline betting, which includes activities like casinos, horse racing, and lotteries, is subject to state laws.
- Some states and UTs, such as Goa, Sikkim and Daman, permit these activities and have legal casinos and horse racing. Lotteries are also legal in these states.
- However, in states like West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Telangana, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Maharashtra, casinos are illegal. In several others, there is no clear legislation yet.
- Despite this, lotteries and betting on horse races are legal in Indian states. However, there are no explicit state or central laws that confirm outright whether online betting legal in India or not. Therefore, the legal landscape remains relatively ambiguous.
Domestic online betting platforms are generally not legal in most states (except Sikkim and Meghalaya), but the situation is different for offshore or international bookmakers. This means that Indian players (except residents of Tamil Nadu and Telangana) can easily access offshore online betting platforms (discussed further below in this guide), which operate outside the ambit of Indian laws and regulations.
Is Betting Legal in India? A Quick Round-up
As of the time of writing, this is an overarching picture of some Indian states where online gambling is legal and states where it isn’t.
- Domestic online casinos are deemed legal in Sikkim and Meghalaya, provided they have valid licences from their respective governments.
- International online casinos are considered legal across India, except Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
- States that have passed some form of legislation and regulation in favour of online gambling are Kerala, Delhi, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
- States where online gambling is expressly illegal are Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
20 Best Legal Betting Sites in India
22Bet
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- Website available in Bangla, Hindi
- Live results & stats section
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