Football Betting in India

Football has an interesting tradition in India, but the sport only gained popularity with the foundation of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the governing body for football in India. Whilst football is nowhere near as popular as cricket, for instance, many Indians love and follow the sport and are interesting in football betting as well. Here we’ll tell you how to get started.

Origins of Football in India

Football (or soccer) was introduced in India during the British occupation, which can hardly be surprising since Great Britain is the home of soccer. In the 19th century, mostly British soldiers would play the sport. But we can probably guess that Indian children took a liking to kick a ball around a field as well and eventually, football gained in popularity throughout the subcontinent.

In 1872, the first football club, Calcutta FC, was founded in India. More clubs joined in the following years and football became quite popular, even though it never managed to reach the heights of cricket. Indeed, in the 1970s the sport saw quite a slump. The sport had taken a backseat and only club events were held alongside some interstate events.

Sunil Chhetri after scoring in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final for India against Tajikistan.
Sunil Chhetri after scoring in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final for India against Tajikistan. India won the game 4-1 and Sunil Chhetri scored a hat trick.

Then the AIFF took over and instated the I-League and eventually the Indian Super League. More and bigger events were held and whilst football still can’t compete with the popularity of cricket, the younger generation in India has embraced the sports and football enjoys a new appreciation, which extends to the interest of betting on it.

How to get started betting on football

Since football is one of the most popular sports in the world, you won’t have problems finding a betting site in India that offers football betting. In fact, on virtually all betting sites we’ve seen, football enjoys the top position in the available markets, usually offering hundreds of selections more than most other sports.

The difficulty, therefore, is more in finding an online betting site that also offers Indian markets. After all, you may not be interested in the Premier League or La Liga. If you want to bet on Indian matches, you may have to dig a little deeper. Well, that’s what we’re here to help with.

10CRIC odds market for the Indian Super League and Indian football in general
10CRIC is a great place to start betting on football in India as they offer a comprehensive market on the Indian Super League.

On our pages, we introduce betting sites that are available to customers in India and most allow you to deposit and withdraw in Indian rupees as well. Since some of these betting sites specifically cater to Indian customers, you can expect to find selections for Indian football as well.

Still, there are a few things to consider before signing up anywhere, which is what we are going to get into next. while most of betting sites are legal in India but

One great site to start your betting on football in India is at bet365 as they offer great promotions for their Indian customers, the welcome bonus for Indian players at bet365 is great too.

Bet365

Bet365 is the biggest online betting site in the world and with that being said you can be sure to be well-taken care of here as a customer. On-going promotions are available at all times, and the welcome bonus is great for new punters at 365.

Bet365 doesn’t only have a comprehensive odds market for football in India, but they also offer live streams for the big events making it very convenient to bet here if you want to watch a game but don’t got the TV channel that broadcasts it.

Bet365

Bet365 Betting Bonus

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At bet365 customers from India can deposit with rupees and play with INR as currency. This is a great address to get started with online betting on football in India. We have already made a full review of the online betting site bet365 that you can read.

Choosing the right betting site

First of all, a betting site needs to accept customers from India, otherwise, there’s no point in signing up there or even attempting to do so. Secondly, you want to be able to deposit in Indian rupees. It’s much more convenient for you and you don’t have to worry about extra fees for currency exchanges or losing money due to a bad exchange rate.

Markets

Provided that above is the case, you next have to check the available markets. Since many betting sites are so Europe focussed, the markets on display will also cover the European leagues before anything else. However, Indian focussed betting sites will make it very easy for you to find selections for Indian football. Some even display them in top positions.

Betway got a comprehensive odds market for betting on football in India.
Betway is also a great address for punters that enjoy betting on Indian Football.

If you have to go searching for Indian football matches, it may not be worth the effort.

Odds

The main reason why it may not be worth the effort are the odds you’ll be able to get. There is less competition for Indian football markets, so bookmakers don’t have to offer the most competitive odds either. It’s in your own interest to compare the available odds and pick the best ones with the lowest bookmaker’s margin. Anything more than 5% is a rip-off and while the odds may still be decent, the price you pay may not be worth it.

Live betting and live streaming

Another thing you’ll want to consider is the availability of live betting and live streaming. Virtually all bookmakers offer live betting these days, but they may not all include live betting on football matches in India. This is particularly true for smaller local matches. When it comes to the big leagues, you shouldn’t have a problem finding live betting odds, though.

Additionally, not all bookmakers offer live streaming. One of the best betting sites to choose for live streaming is undoubtedly bet365. They simply offer the widest range of live streaming around the world and you should be able to find the big leagues here as well as smaller matches – as long as they are streamed at all, of course.

Screenshot from a mobile of the live section found at Betway
Betway got live betting available for almost all Indian football matches.

Also, if bet365 offers live streaming for a particular match, you can be sure that live betting for that match is also available.

Promotions

Another point that you should not underestimate is promotions and bonuses. Whilst most bookmakers offer sportsbook specific promotions and a vast variety of bonuses or free bets for football betting, you will also want to be able to use them.

For instance, during the Premier League or major championships, you will have no trouble finding extra promotions and bonuses. But they might be specific to these events and therefore useless for Indian football betting. Bookmakers such as 10CRIC focus on the Indian market and here you’ll be able to find free bets you can actually use on a football match as well.

10CRIC

10CRIC Betting Bonus

100% Welcome Bonus up to ₹10,000 + Free Spins
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If you find interesting bonuses and promotions, be sure to check the bonus terms to find out if you are able to use it on football betting in India as well.

Conclusion

Recommended bookmakers for football betting in India

All bookmakers we introduce on our pages offer football betting. Not all of them have the best selections for football betting in India, though.

1xBet and 22Bet offer a massive selection of Asian handicaps and are quite good for Indian football betting as well. But you won’t get live streaming here, which is a shame.

Betway and Unibet are excellent betting sites and have great options for Indian players as well. Additionally, Unibet offers live streaming, though it is not as extensive as you might hope for.

10CRIC is one of the best sites for promotions and bonuses and their exclusive focus on the Indian market, in general, is great for football betting as well, even though they offer a much wider variety in general.

10CRIC banner

One of the best bookmakers around with some of the best markets and selections for football betting in India is bet365, however. This bookmaker covers everything, offers live betting and a good range of promotions. The availability of live streaming is great and the selection of games you will find here is the most comprehensive around.

Whilst they are our first recommendation when it comes to football betting in India, the other bookmakers are strong contenders and have other strengths in other areas.

Football Betting FAQ

How many players in a football game?

It’s 1 goalkeeper and 10 field players on each team making it a total of 22 players on the pitch at the same time. The rules for how many substitutes it’s allowed to have on the bench varies from country to country and tournament to tournament.

What is VAR in football?

VAR means “video assistant referee” and is a match official who reviews decisions made by the head referee. VAR is new to football and is used differently in tournaments and in some countries. Not every country has taken VAR into use, and India is one of those who have not implemented VAR yet, but it’s big talk in India at the moment so it will probably hit the Indian Leagues soon too.

Who is the captain of the Indian football team?

Sunil Chhetri the superstar on Bengaluru FC is the current captain. He has scored the second-highest number of goals in international matches of all players, only beaten by Christiano Ronaldo.

Who is the best football player in India and the world?

Sunil Chhetri is still the best player in India, most would say he’s the best player that ever represented India in football. The best football player in the world is a neverending argument between Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.