Is Online Betting Legal in India?


We know for a fact that many of you wonder, “is gambling legal in India?”. Thankfully, the answer is pretty simple and we have it for you. All you have to do is read this post from top to bottom. We’re going to start with a list of legal betting sites and then delve into the discussion.

List of Betting Sites

Rank Bookmaker Rating Bonus Get bonus
1
4.8/5
100% welcome bonus up to INR 8,000
 PlayRead review
2
4.8/5
150% welcome bonus of up to ₹10,000
 PlayRead review
3
4.5/5
Welcome bonus Up to Rs 10,000
 PlayRead review
4
4.5/5
150% bonus on the first sports betting deposit
 PlayRead review
5
4.5/5
100% bonus up to ₹15,000
 PlayRead review
6
4.8/5
150% welcome bonus bonus of up to 10,000₹
 PlayRead review
7
4.8/5
100% first deposit bonus up to 20,000 INR +150 FS
 PlayRead review
8
4.5/5
100% match bonus up to ₹20,600
 PlayRead review

A General Review on Betting Online in India

  • For the most part, the answer to “is betting legal in India” is no. The Indian government strictly monitors the presence of physical betting shops or casinos all over the country. Only 3 independent territories can host gambling services from within the country. They’re Daman, Sikkim, and Goa. One of the main reasons behind this is the high tourist traffic in these states.

    Online gambling, however, still remains unregulated. And when there is no regulation in the first place, you can’t call something legal or illegal. But if you’re asking is betting legal in India or not, the short answer would be yes. Because online gambling is not criminalized by law. 

    gambling legally in india

Betting Laws in India

Let’s get you up to date with the existing laws in the country so that you have a better idea of whether betting in India legal or not. These should also answer “is online betting legal in India” or not. 

  • 1

    Public Gambling Act 1867

    The only existing law in India that regulates gambling is the Public Gambling Act of 1867. Yes, you read that right. It’s 1867! At the time of writing this post, this act is over 150 years old! This bill was actually passed by the British when India used to be a colonial state. Needless to say, the idea of the internet wasn’t even conceived during that time. So, there are no mentions of online gambling laws in India cannot be found. 

  • 2

    Prize Competition Act 1955

    As the Public Gambling Act criminalizes hosting betting services for real money within the border, many businesses switched their model to a prize-based one. Instead of winning money, you would win prizes. And everything would be classified as “competition”. This act is implemented to stop that from happening. 

  • 3

    Information Technology Act 2000

    After the internet started to become a mainstream service, the Indian government introduced Information Technology Act 2000. It’s designed to regulate cyber activities across the country. However, this law too doesn’t mention online gambling or betting. According to current statistics, gambling activities in India amount to $60 billion every year! What’s more alarming is that half of these bets are illegally placed. 

    Thankfully, the paradigm is changing as more and more legal betting sites are starting to accept bettors from India. When you have a regulated channel to place real money bets, why would you go for illegal gambling houses?

Summary

So, is betting legal In India? The answer is both yes and no. It’s yes in the sense that you won’t get prosecuted by the government. And not in the sense that there are no laws legalizing online betting. The same goes for the question “is cricket betting legal in India?” or any other similar questions you can think of.

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Author
Jarin Ahmed
Like many aspiring writers, Jarin focuses on bringing life to the text for her readers. She is an avid sports lover, growing up in a family obsessed with bookies. She is an expert in the iGaming niche and has secondary obsessions with Gardening and cooking.
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FAQ. Frequently Asked Questions

  • Online betting is technically “unregulated” in India. It means you can’t host gambling services within the country but if the operator is offshore, it’s not illegal.

  • You can bet but its legality wouldn’t be set in stone. It’s simply because India doesn’t have any laws for online gambling to begin with.

  • Yes, you can bet on sports in India thanks to all the offshore gambling sites that accept players from the country.

  • We’ve listed the best legal betting sites online in India for you. It’s best if you check all of them out and compare the features before deciding on one.

  • Make sure you’re betting at a licensed gambling site that has a reputed presence among the bettors.