If you live in India and enjoy betting and casino games, you are likely to be worried about breaking the law. This is because the laws regarding betting and gambling in India have been vague and unclear. With a few adjustments being made to these laws, and different states having different regulations, it has become very confusing for people.
The majority of people are unaware of what kind of betting activities they can take part in without breaking any laws and regulations. It is important to understand the outlook of different states of India about betting or gambling, laws regarding both online and offline betting sites and different types of betting games and their restrictions.
Written by Shivam Bhateja
Verified by BettingGuide team
Last updated 20/6/2024
Betting Laws in India
If we look at the big picture, gambling is illegal in India. The Public Gambling Act of India, 1867, clearly states that gambling and running of public gambling houses are illegal. The law strictly prohibits such activities. However, there is confusion amongst people because betting can take place on various platforms and have different types.
We will discuss the different types of gambling and what are the restrictions imposed by the Indian government on each type later in this article. First, let’s look at the betting laws on different platforms, that is, offline and online.
Online Betting Laws
The law that governs websites in India is the Information Technology Act 2000. The law states that any website must not promote, take part in or show content related to gambling or money laundering. This prohibits the functioning of any Indian-originated gambling website. As interpreted by many, real money online casinos and betting websites that are based outside of India can be used by Indian punters.
The lack of comprehensive laws regarding online betting websites, based outside of India and their use by Indians, is left to interpretation by the people. None of the laws prohibits or states any restrictions regarding the use of these websites. As the final decision-making power is delegated to the states, it is in the hands of the state government to regulate gambling. However, even in the states where gambling is illegal, there are no laws prohibiting citizens from visiting betting websites.
States like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, in the past two years, tried to impose a ban on online betting sites. However, the ban did not last for long and was eventually uplifted by the high court. The court reasoned that the game of skills (like Rummy) is not banned in the country and therefore, the ban on online gambling sites conflicts with the gambling act.
To phrase it correctly, online gambling is neither illegal nor legal in India.
Offline Betting Laws
Offline betting can be described as land-based gambling houses. The Public Gambling Act of 1867 strictly prohibits anyone in the country to operate or be a part of a public gambling house. The same law has left the power to the state government to construct their own gambling laws.
Three states of India, Daman, Goa and Sikkim, legally allow gambling through casinos. One can find some of the best and most luxurious casinos in these states. A majority of casinos and gambling houses in Goa are floating. Based on luxurious cruise ships, one can find a huge collection of games at casinos like Deltin Royale and Casino Carnival.
Sikkim has some of the best casinos in the country. There are a few state-owned lotteries available, which are also legal. Daman accommodates the biggest land-based casino in the country, Deltin Daman Casino, which houses more than 1000 gaming machines.
If you are craving to visit a land-based or water-based casino in India, you can travel to any of these states. Also, avoid visiting gambling houses in any other state, where betting is strictly prohibited, as you can get penalised or can even go to jail. In the past few years, many such places have been raided and shut down.
