How to Start Betting Online
If you want to start betting online in India, you’re in the right place. Apart from our handy betting site reviews, we also have plenty of other guides and advice for you. So, when you start betting online, our pages are here to help you.
Why do you want to start betting online
Before we get into how you can start betting online, we want you to ask yourself, why do you want to start betting online? It’s an important question to ask yourself. We don’t question your reasons or motives. We want you to have fun and ideally, we want you to have a positive experience betting online.
So, if your main motivation is to have fun, go for it. But if you are hoping to make some serious money or derive an income from betting, you are in the wrong place. There are professional gamblers out there and they are able to make a living from gambling. But they have a lot of experience and usually know what they can afford to lose and how much to invest for a decent return.
As a beginner, you don’t have enough experience to be sure to win enough to make a living from it. You can never be sure that you win.
Finding a good betting site
Now that that is out of the way, let’s talk about getting started betting online in India. You’re in the right place to find plenty of recommendations for great betting sites in India. We’re also here to help you get started betting on various sports, which we have written a few handy guides for. IPL Betting is one of the most popular choices for Indian players.
We have also written some guides for various kinds of gambling you might want to check out besides betting online. If you want to play the lotteries, for instance, or learn how to play poker, we’re here to help.
Finding a good betting site is not difficult when you know where to look and, more importantly, what to look out for.
We check out the following things for you:
- Accepts Indian players and Indian rupees
- Fair bonus offers
- Good range of markets, selections, and competitive odds
- Availability of other gambling products
- Transparent, fair and well-regulated operator
If there’s a betting site you’re interested in that we have not reviewed yet, these items should be on your checklist as well.
Do keep in mind that most betting sites in India have different strengths. We generally make a recommendation who might benefit from the sites we review for you and point out any weaknesses as well.
Ultimately, you have to decide for yourself whether a betting site is good for you.
Getting started betting online
Once you have selected your favorite betting site (or sites – more than one might be in your final selection), you simply need to sign up at the betting site and make your first deposit. Most gambling sites offer some sort of welcome bonus for the first deposit that you make.
Before you take all your online betting to one casino, you should always test the site. Place a few smaller bets on various selections and see how they turn out. Use some bonus funds or a free bet, if you can. Test the withdrawal options as well and see how long a transaction takes.
Be sure to also go through the KYC (know your customer) process before you make your first withdrawal request. You will need a valid form of ID, proof of address (such as a utility bill) and potentially proof of your withdrawal method (i.e. that the account you wish to withdraw to is yours to use).
Important things to keep in mind are:
- Set limits (deposit limits, bet limits and time limits)
- Withdraw your winnings instead of using them to gamble again
- Gamble only money you can afford to lose
- Start small (with deposits, bets, and withdrawals) to test the betting site
The temptation to place bigger bets or make higher deposits will likely increase if you manage to place some successful bets. Resist that temptation and get more experience first.
If more than 50% of your bets are successful over a longer period of time (at least a few months), you can think about increasing your gambling activities, but be sure that the fun still remains your main motivation to bet online.
Is online betting legal in India
That depends. Sikkim is currently the only state that has legalized online gambling. The legality of gambling, in general, is not clear-cut in India. Mostly, gambling is illegal. However, horse racing betting is not illegal. Lotteries are also not illegal.
And whilst it is considered illegal for online betting sites to offer their services in India. Customers from India may gamble online as they wish. In other words, if you decide to gamble online, you can choose to use any operator and you will not be persecuted by Indian authorities.
Gambling operators move more or less in a grey zone. Many now offer their services to customers in India, though it is worth mentioning that these operators are not located in India and don’t have servers there.
We can’t offer you any legal advice and can’t make a recommendation either way. Usually, it is quite safe for customers from India to bet online. But if you are worried at all, you might not wish to engage in gambling activities online.
The advantages of betting online
Provided you want to have some fun gambling online, there are some advantages to bet online rather than offline:
- Wide choice of gambling products (sportsbooks, poker networks, casinos, and live casinos, etc.)
- You can look for the best odds (as opposed to being restricted to the odds the on-track bookmaker offers)
- Availability of bonus offers
- Ease of access from the comfort of your home or anywhere from your mobile
There are plenty of reasons why people gamble online, and these are just some of the most important ones.
The disadvantages of betting online
There are some disadvantages to consider as well. Not all that glitters is gold, after all. Yes, it can be fun, and you can win money, but before you get all excited about winning some cash, be sure to look at betting online more critically as well.
- There are rogue operators (they may look good on the surface, but after you deposit and win, you may never see your withdrawals).
- Lack of live streaming – you may not be able to follow events live.
- Slow transaction times (especially withdrawal times) – you won’t get your winnings instantly.
- Time-consuming KYC process (which is a nuisance when you want to withdraw the first time).
- Problematic gambling behavior (you bet more than you lose and deposit repeatedly without ever winning anything, etc.)
Before you start betting online, consider everything we just told you and weigh all options, advantages, and disadvantages against each other. If you’re still confident that this is a hobby that you wish to engage in, go ahead and sign up at a betting site and have some fun!