Is it legal to gamble online in India?
Is it legal to gamble online in India? Technically, the answer to that question is yes, though there are gray areas in the law regulating gambling in India. Online gambling in India is legal, just like cricket betting sites and online casinos in India can run offshore with proper licenses from reputable authorities, and Indian players have access to it without any barriers.
Today no law in India that bans gambling online. That said, why is it then that the average Indian casino player continues to ask this question, is online gambling legal in India? Keep reading to satisfy your curiosity and receive enlightenment.
The gambling laws in India
According to Casinos India, the extant law regulating the Indian casino sites is the dated Public Gambling Act. It was passed by the colonial rulers in 1867. That law makes land-based casinos illegal in India apart from states such as Sikkim and Goa.
Staking parlors for betting in horse racing are legal in India and you can play lotteries in India legally. An enabling law regulating it was passed in 1998 allowing states to conduct lotteries.
As of today, no law forbids online gambling. That makes the country unregulated and causing the government to lose revenues it could have gotten by taxing casino operators.
Regulating gambling in India would lessen revenue losses that could run into billions yearly and create employment for citizens.
Gambling laws in Indian states
Indian Federal law allows Indian states to make their own gambling laws. In Maharashtra, gambling is banned totally and three states such as Sikkim, Daman, and Goa now allow betting as they have licensed gambling operators.
First, Goa authorized the playing of slot games in five-star hotels before granting licenses to land-based casino operators and casinos based in cruise ships.
Sikkim gave some licenses to brick-and-mortar casino operators in 2014. A beneficiary of that license is Future Gaming Solutions Private Limited. The state also licensed online lottery promoters to accept bets from the whole of India.
The growing need for online casinos
The local Indian gambling operators in those three states could not fulfill the yearning for modern online casino games.
As you would expect, that situation led to massive registering of Indian online fans in safe offshore foreign-owned casinos. This was to play advanced casino games created by the best casino game makers like Microgaming, NetEnt, and Evolution Gaming.
Online casinos that accept Indian players
With the massive request for online casino games by Indian players, many first-class online casino operators based in foreign lands now cater to India. Many of these online casinos accept Indian players and even developed local casino games, and you can play in rupees.
Qualities of the best casino sites in India
The best online casino India sites in the world are owned by top online casino operators. These big names have global reach and gigantic game collections for players and fair odds to players. They offer local games like teen patti and andar bahar.
Those casinos have a smooth user interface and fast loading beautifully designed websites, plus mobile responsive sites to enable you to play with your smartphones. Also, you can enjoy bonuses and promotions if the online casinos accept Indian players. Once you make your first deposit as a first-time customer, you will get a welcome bonus. You might use it as free spin or any other game the site approves.
Moreover, they offer easy account opening and multiple payment processors for fast withdrawals of winnings in Indian rupees. Your information is encrypted with a valid SSL certificate and 128/256-bit data encryption.
The best online casinos have excellent responsive and caring 24/7 customer support. The best Authorities like the UK Gaming Commission, Gaming Commission of Malta, and Gibraltar Licensing Authority regulate them.
The best online casinos in India
These are the four best online casinos that accept Indian players.
- Leo Vegas
This is an award-winning Swedish-owned online casino that accepts Indian players and offers you a large welcome bonus of ₹80,000. Once you open and fund your account on its SSL encrypted website, you will have access to sports betting and online casino services in this Malta gaming Authority regulated online casino.
Its games collection is countless with more than 1,499 slot machines. You can play games like poker, roulette, blackjack, and bet in horse racing. This kind of mobile casino’s mobile platform allows you to play with ease on your smartphones. It is known as the most useful mobile casino site in India.
- Royal Panda
This offers you an easy and safe gambling platform. Leo Vegas owns this site, and it holds a dual license from the MGA and UK gambling commission for your peace of mind. Its website gives you unmatched fun while playing casino games you love.
Open an account and gain access to a welcome bonus of ₹100,000 after your first deposit. Browse its gigantic catalog of games created by Microgaming and NetEnt like mega joker classic games, video poker, roulette, and baccarat.
It caters to Indian players allowing you to use different deposit and withdrawals methods like Skrill, Visa card Neteller, and Astropay. Besides its RTP is among the highest in the Industry.
- Bet 365 casino
Bet 365 casino is the next top-rated casinos that accept Indian players. It offers both sports betting and casino games to players and got its license from the Malta Gaming Authority.
The user experience is smooth as its website is easy to navigate and offers you innumerable advanced games developed by NetEnt and Microgaming. You can play Bingo, blackjack, poker, video poker and online casino games, do Live sports betting with fair odds.
You have access to a welcome bonus of ₹10,000 after making your first deposit. Skrill bank transfer, Neteller and credit card are some good ways you can use to deposit and enjoy fast withdrawals of your winnings.
- Betway
This betting site is a worldwide company set up to serve you in different ways. It owns subsidiary companies running an online casino, sportsbook, poker, and bingo games.
It also provides you with multiple payments and withdrawal options by Neteller and Skrill and bank transfer. Besides, all new players have a welcome bonus of about ₹90,000. You can open your player account easily and play multiple casino games.
It has a Betway app for cricket betting in India for Android and iPhone, and you can also deposit and withdraw cricket winnings with the app.
From the facts in this post, it is legal to gamble online in India. Go ahead and gamble responsibly on these sites in this post and enjoy online casino games.