What Do We Know About Online Gambling in India?

3 June 2020 : Online gambling platforms have become a favorite pastime to many people around the world, and with India being one of the most populated countries in the world, it’s no wonder a lot of online gambling sites decided to offer their services to people from India.

Currently, only three states in India have legalized land-based casinos — Goa, Sikkim, and Daman. As far as online gambling platforms are concerned, it’s forbidden to operate an online casino or sportsbook from India. That’s mostly due to the fact that the Indian gambling laws and regulations are somewhat unclear and very outdated, as they came into force in 1867.

Currently, two states in India have made a move forward, and have provided a much clearer idea of where they stand when online gambling is concerned. The first one — Maharashtra — has prohibited any forms of online gambling. On the other side, we have Sikkim, a state that has the authority to issue licenses to operators that want to operate within the state.

Having said that, there are no strict laws that restrict offshore casinos from accepting players from India. The only requirement is that these offshore casinos need to accept the Indian rupee.   New online casinos, such as indiacasino.xyz, regularly appear on the market. These online platforms offer a complete selection of casino games you can find in any top-notch land-based casino.

If you’re new to online casinos, here’s what you can expect to see — online slots, table games, live casino, and lottery. Until now, online lotteries have been leading the way, but other casino games have been growing in popularity as well.

Around 80% of Indians gamble at least once a year, be it sports betting or playing casino games. It’s no wonder online gambling operators want to do business there. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of illegal gambling going on. The best legal option are definitely the offshore casinos we mentioned. They are licensed and regulated by trustworthy regulatory bodies and they offer completely secure gambling experience.

We can’t overlook the fact that one of the most popular sports in India is cricket. It’s home to the world-renowned IPL (Indian Premier League), and some of the best cricketers in the world actually come from this country. Given the fact that these tournaments are heavily visited, they are the focus of the most passionate bettors.

While there are still no legal online sportsbooks, Indian sports betting aficionados can always turn to offshore sportsbooks and place their bets. Apart from cricket, these platforms offer a vast selection of sporting events happening all over the world — from soccer and basketball to tennis and MMA tournaments.

The best thing that could happen now is that the Indian Government update and amend their gambling laws, and maybe allow online gambling platforms to operate from within the country. Or at least make somewhat clearer what is legal and what isn’t. Making online sports betting platforms legal in India would have its benefits — the main one being the reduction of illegal betting.