Is online Casino Legal in India ?

Gambling is legal in India. The gambling laws allow the placement of land-based casinos in five-star hotels. The activities of gambling establishments are fully controlled by the state. The law in India is arranged so that each state may pass individual bills. The main thing is that the state laws do not contradict the constitution of the country.

The last public gambling act on gambling was adopted in the middle of the 19th century. Since then, the law has not changed much. But what about online gambling, because 200 years ago no one could even think about online betting or gambling?

Online casinos in India: Legal status

When the first gambling establishments appeared on the Internet, it was decided to supplement and improve the law. In 2010, there were attempts to change the legislation, but government representatives were unable to find a compromise. Only online lotteries were legalized. The status of online casino gambling remained undefined. There is no direct ban on online gambling in India. The question of whether is online casino legal in India has only been resolved at the level of individual states.

Gambling bans in individual states

Only certain states in India ban online casinos. The state of Maharashtra completely bans the use of online casino services and online gambling. The corresponding law was adopted in 2013. In 2020, two more states in India have passed similar laws. Online casinos, sports betting, and online horse racing were banned in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Individual states have passed laws that regulate online gambling. The states of Sikkim, Daman, Nagaland, and Goa have made online gambling legal as long as the company allows financial transactions in the state currency, rupees. Also, each state’s law has certain nuances and caveats. Sikkim and Nagaland have legalized only card games, practically equating them to sports disciplines.

Such games include blackjack, poker, and baccarat. Poker and Baccarat are games in which the outcome of the deal depends more on the player’s decisions than luck. Slot machines, however, remain a prohibited form of the game in these states.

Why are online casinos so popular in India?

India has a population of over 1 billion people. An attractive and promising market for many online casino operators. Local entrepreneurs can’t register an online casino in India because there is still no mechanism for legalizing such business in the country. Therefore, gambling enthusiasts from India often become customers of foreign and offshore companies. The laws of India do not prohibit offshore gambling services, as long as users can make payments in rupees. The only exceptions are in certain states.

Banking has been a major obstacle for online gamblers in India. For a while, depositing money at offshore casinos was extremely difficult. Today, online casinos accept payments from bank cards and popular digital payment services.

Therefore, depositing in a gambling club no longer causes difficulties for players. Today, a huge number of gambling games on the Internet are available to users. You only need a computer or even a regular smartphone and an Internet connection. Online casinos have made gambling in India more accessible.

There has not been a single case of an online casino player or betting site customer being prosecuted in India. Even states that prohibit gambling do not prosecute offshore gambling customers.