Legal online betting in India
Is online betting legal in India?
Gambling in India has existed for hundreds of years and, with the passing years, there have been certain changes to this classic activity. While it is still illegal to gamble at a brick and mortar in some Indian states, there is no definite law that states Online Gambling to be illegal.
The Public Gaming Act of 1867 has no mention of online gambling, which makes the rules pertaining to online gambling unclear. The state governments can decide and create their own legislation that covers rules related to gambling. So, till the time there are no updates in the current gambling laws, online betting and gambling are legal and Indians can engage in online casinos or betting websites that have the essential licences and function from overseas.
Before gambling, check whether your state permits online gambling. In most cases, there will be no definite rules, but as you all know, prevention is better than cure!
What are the gambling laws in India?
Gambling was a non-regulated activity in the past that created havoc and made people end up in losses. But, soon after, when the British took over India, the Public Gambling Act of 1867 was imposed. This regulation came up with a set of rules and ethics that every gambler had to abide by in order to have a safe and fair gambling experience!
To date, this act is followed, and here’s how it functions. Running or managing a public casino in some states is illegal, and if someone is caught breaking the law, they can face jail time for up to three months and a penalty of ₹ 200. Anyone visiting the offline casino can also face jail time for a month and a penalty of ₹ 100. As the act has no mention of online gambling, none of these rules are applicable to online casinos. Even though there are a few things to be taken into consideration.
With two opposing sides in the parliament, there are two opinions when it comes to gambling and its functioning. One side considers forbidding gambling entirely in India, whereas the other side urges legalizing gambling in a regulated manner. In the occurrence of these events, they have left the decision of legalizing gambling onto the state governments. Therefore, you only see a few land-based casinos that too in Goa, Sikkim and a few other Indian states. A good decision or a bad one? What do you think?
Let’s look into which states allow online gambling and which disregards this activity.
Maharashtra allows games of skill and prohibits games of luck. Many other states, including Karnataka, adopted this same concept.
The state of Andhra Pradesh has actively banned online betting. Whereas in Tamil Nadu and many other states, there are no rules for online gambling, which makes it neither legal nor illegal to bet online
The government of Sikkim and Goa both allow the functioning of land-based casinos in a regulated manner. To extend the scope, Sikkim is currently trying to legalize online betting within the state.
To understand which category you fall into, it’s wise to do your research and then play at a casino. Online casinos have to abide by two conditions:
- The online betting website must be founded or based out from outside India.
- They should accept Indian Rupees on the betting website.
If the casino you choose is following both these conditions, you are all set to go!
Games of Skill vs Games of Chance
As we have established that the state governments decided rules for online gambling, some states determine online gambling’s legalities based on the game of chance and game of luck.
But what is the difference between Games of Skill vs Games of Chance? Let’s uncover that!
The meaning for both these things is within their name. When you increase your winning chances by learning and mastering the game, it is said to be a game of skill. So basically, if you have knowledge about cricket, and you place your bets considering the facts and figures, with a hint of your judgement, it comes under the game of skill. Irrespective of this, cricket betting is illegal in many states.
Similarly, if you learn the tricks and ways to play Teen Patti, Blackjack or any other game that requires the involvement of a knowledgeable judgement, is said to be the game of skill that is considered legal in many states of India.
So, if you are from one of the states that allow betting on games based on skill, it’s time you educate yourself about the game you wish to play because something is better than nothing!
Coming to games of chance, which is mostly based on the luck factor. In simple words, if you win a game that required zero involvement from your end, and the winning number is based merely on luck, it is said to be the game of chance.
So, if you played a game of slots, that just involves you pulling the trigger, it can be considered as a game of chance. Similarly, the game of roulette and other jackpot games are perfect examples that fit in this category.
No matter how much you study the game of roulette, its tips or gameplay, the winning call is made by the ball, which just revolves and comes to rest at any random number on which you don’t have any control. Now, this is something that is considered illegal by many states in India, so watch out before playing these games.
Keeping all things in consideration, the gambling laws in India seem very contradictory and out of place. But it is what it is. So, ensure you have all the knowledge you need before starting with gambling, as this leisure activity can make you go down the wrong lane if played the wrong way!
What is the Future of Online betting In India?
Considering the recent scenarios of the online gambling industry, the laws seem to be hazy and contradicting. While there have been no changes or updates related to the laws, it is quite unsure to predict what comes next for the online betting and gaming industry in India. It can be legalized or banned, no one knows.
But we are on top of it and here to provide you with the latest ongoings within the gambling industry, so for the time being, our suggestion is to make the most of the current laws and enjoy gambling without having to worry about law-breaking!
While gambling online, keep these things in mind to ensure a safe and smooth gameplay.
- Play at a casino with the right set of licences & regulations by Malta, the UK, or Curacao.
- The casino must have a high-security system that safeguards your data.
- They have Indian currency as an option, along with multiple payment gateways.
- Stay away from a casino that offers too good to be true bonuses & promotions. It’s a red flag!
- The casino is based out of Indian and works from overseas.
If the casino you select checks all these boxes, you’re in safe hands, and you can enjoy betting on a favourite game. After thorough research, we have found the top 3 betting sites that you can start betting on.
P.S – They check all the boxes and have additional benefits!
Top legal betting sites in India?
With the plethora of options available online, it is easy for you to get lost! But we are here to be your saviour! After doing a thorough quality check, we are here with the top 3 betting sites that are safe and offer the best user experience.
1)Betway- Betway is one of the oldest and trustworthy betting site in India. It is based in malta, but it has an Indian site specifically targeted at Indian players. Which you can easily notice when you open the home page. There is a deliberate focus on cricket, and number one sport, while sports like football, tennis, and hockey.
Betway offers some of the best payment options especially for Indian market you can deposit through UPI, netbanking, Paytm, Gpay, astropay, neteller, skrill and many more. They offer great betting app in India
If you want to bet legally and safely Betway is definitely one of the best options. You can check out our review on Betway
2)Fun88– Fun 88 is one of the leading betting sites in Asia and it offers some of the great betting on sports like cricket, football, kabbadi and many more. The site is quite trustworthy and sponsors of many great events like Caribbean Premier league. They have Daren Sammy as there brand ambassador and offers great welcome bonus and offers.
Fun88 is mainly famous for its sports betting, but you can find online casino games as well. Their offering on online casino is also quite huge and popular. You can also find virtual sports, one of their USPs .
With fun88 you can deposit and withdrawal money very easily as they have more then 30 payment options some of the famous option you can find is internet baking, paytm, UPI, phonepe, google pay, astropay, neteller, Dr and credit cards and many more. You can check out our review on Fun88.
Which are the most popular sports betting /games in India?
With online gambling rising on the charts, there are more options than ever! You can place your money on as small as slots, table games, cards to cricket betting or horse betting. But as you know, not everything is for you. To find the best game for you, it is wise to try your hands on a couple of them first, and then figure out which one’s getting you more results and fun! If you get both of these things from a game, you’ve got the game for yourself!
Cutting to the chase, here we are with the most popular betting sports/games in India.
These are based on the player’s preferences across India. So, now that you know about online betting in India completely, all there’s left to do is start betting!
Conclusion:
Coming to the end, let’s summarize the verdict on if online betting is legal in India? With the current gambling laws in place, online betting laws are blurry and differ from state to state. Most of the states allow online gambling at an overseas casino, so yes, you can legally bet in India if all conditions are met.
If there are any changes, you will come to know, so for the time being, enjoy yourself and start gambling at any of the above-mentioned casinos, as our expert team deemed them to be safe. Choose the one that is more like you and start your gambling journey the right way!