• Online Gambling Legal In India
• Online Legal Gambling Sites In India Sites
• Online Legal Gambling Sites In India Now

Online gambling laws in India are vague and open to
interpretation. Ask 50 different people about the legality of
betting in India and you’ll get 50 different answers. On this
page, we’ll attempt to give you a thorough but concise overview
of the current legal situation.

During Diwali, for example, the Madras High Court decided that gambling in India is permitted, as long as it’s done amongst friends in a private place. While most forms of land-based and online gambling sites in India may be prohibited, that doesn’t mean it’s not happening on a massive scale. The lottery is one of the only forms of online gambling in India that is completely legal. As such, policies around online lotteries are relatively relaxed. Players throughout India can place their bets on the internet and hope they are lucky enough to win the big jackpot. Horse race betting is also fully legalised in the country, though things. India is the second-most populous country in the world, as it is home to more than 1.2 billion people in total. That has made it a potentially desirable market for the gambling industry, especially as the nation’s middle class has grown by leaps and bounds in recent decades.

Gambling is regulated in India at the national and state
levels. On the national stage, gambling is mostly addressed by
two or three acts depending on who you ask:

• The Public Gambling Act of 1867
• Prize Competition Act, 1955
• The Information Technology Act of 2000 (maybe)

Online gambling isn’t specifically mentioned in any of these
acts so it resides in a grey area of the law. Some could argue
that the Public Gambling act of 1867 applies to online gambling
since it restricts all forms of “gambling.” Additionally,
there’s the problem that “gambling” itself is never defined by
the act.

The states also have the authority to regulate gambling to a
degree. Two states, Goa and Sikkim, have authorized a limited
number of brick-and-mortar casinos. The other states outlaw most
forms of gambling, betting, and poker. The one nationwide
exception is horse racing betting, which the Supreme Court ruled
was a game of skill in 1996.

Although most forms of real-world gambling are banned in
India, there are no legal means for prosecuting those who choose
to place their bets online. For that reason, India is a
fast-growing market for online gambling. With 1.2 billion
inhabitants and a growing middle class, India shows great
potential for e-gaming operators.

Offshore betting sites such as Bet365 have already entered
the market and cater to Indians. At Bet365, you may deposit with
Indian rupees and are welcomed to register and play all games
from India. Bet365 resides outside of India and is therefore
safe from the laws that ban the operation of gambling websites.
And since there are no laws that prohibit individual people from
placing bets online, Bet365 is able to take advantage of the
legal loophole.

The Public Gambling Act of 1867

The Public Gambling Act of 1867 made it illegal to run a
gaming house or be found in one. The act describes a gaming
house as “any house, walled enclosure, room or place, playing or
gaming with cards, dice, counters, money or other instruments of
gaming or is found there present for the purpose of gaming,
whether playing for any money, wager, stake or otherwise.” The
penalty for being caught in one is up to a month in jail.

This act predates the internet by well over a hundred years
so there’s a good deal of debate as to whether or not it applies
to online gambling. Does a website count as a “place” where
instruments of gaming are present? It depends on who you ask.

Further complicating matters, an amendment in 1976 added the
following text:

The question remains: does the internet count as a “vehicle,
vessel or place?” The 1976 amendment also predates the internet,
but it could be interpreted as applying to the internet.

Additionally, there’s no ironclad definition of the word
“gambling.” The closest the Public Gambling Act of 1867 comes to
defining “gambling” is in section 12:

Prize Competition Act, 1955

The Prize Competition Act, 1955 seems to address a very
specific type of gambling, but it has been interpreted as
applying to all forms of gaming in which a prize is awarded. In
short, the act bans prize competitions in which the prizes
exceed a thousand rupees a month.

The act defines “prize competition” with the following text:

The Information Technology Act of 2000

The Information Technology Act of 2000 is even more difficult
than the other two acts described above, because it’s so broad
in scope. This act still causes a great deal of controversy
today due to its vague wording and harsh punishments for a wide
range of infractions.

Like the other two acts on this page, the Information
Technology Act doesn’t specifically mention online gambling.
However, the following text could be interpreted to apply to
internet wagering. No internet betting cases have yet to be
tried under the act, so we don’t yet know if it applies to
gambling or not. We will have to wait and see.

The most controversial portion of the act is also the part
that may or may not apply to online gambling:

A violation of this portion of the act may result in
imprisonment for up to three years and an unspecified crime. The
Bombay High Court has already ruled that this act can be applied
to content published on websites.

Could online gambling be considered a message that may cause
insult, injury, or ill will? Does it fall under the comically vague
“etc.”? We don’t know. So far, we have yet to read about anyone
being charged with placing bets under the law.

What This All Means

In summary, gambling laws in India are confusing, poorly
written, and haphazardly enforced. The reality of it all for
online gambling specifically is that people across India bet
online every day. There are no laws that criminalize the mere
act of placing a few bets online. If you live in India, you have
access to a wide range of internet casinos, sportsbooks, and
poker rooms.

There’s no reason to limit yourself from enjoying the
excitement and convenience provided by gaming websites. In most
locations, betting over the internet is safer than doing it in
person. Millions of Indians already gamble online and have had
no legal issues to date.

The one bit of caution we would recommend is to look into the
laws in your area. Indian gaming law makes little sense and is
enforced at random. You should always check with the local
authorities before you place real money bets anywhere.

India has a population of more than 1.3 billion people. You’d think a country that large would love gambling due to all the revenue it can bring in.

That’s not the case, though. Only 3 states offer gambling, which is available offline in one of their thirteen casinos. Online gambling is possible, but the legality is questionable at best. We talk more about this and more in our FAQ section below.

As always, your mileage will vary. If you’re not worried about that stuff and are ready to get started right now, we’ve got you covered. We created a list below with all our India-friendly gambling sites.

Choose a site from the above list now, and you could be making bets in a matter of minutes.

Every site in this list above has been thoroughly vetted by us. Here’s what this means for you.

• Each site is licensed and regulated
• Each site offers multiple gambling products. That can include sports betting, casino games, online poker, bingo, and/or financials betting
• Each site accepts Indian rupees
• Each site has offers you can claim for each of their gambling products
• Each site has stellar support (that we tested ourselves)

The point – we’ve done the work and covered the bases so that you don’t have to. This is why we have the confidence to recommend them to you.

Choose any one of the sites from the list above to get started. We all but guarantee that you’ll have a great time at any one of them.

However, if you’re new to this online gambling thing and aren’t ready to get started yet, we totally get it. You probably have lots of questions you need answered first.

We got you covered there, too. The following section is a massive FAQ that we’ve written just for you. It answers all the most common questions we get about gambling in India.

India is one of the world’s most gambling-unfriendly countries. This is probably why we see so many questions about gambling here. Indians want to know if it’s legal to gamble here and the safest way to go about it online.

That’s why we decided to dedicate most of this page to answering some FAQs. You’ll find several gambling-related questions and answers below on the following topics.

• Gambling Laws and Rules
• Gambling Options and Compatibility
• Banking Options
• Bonuses and Deals
• Choosing the Best Gambling Site

We’ve also even included links to other resources when appropriate. Overall, the information below should clear a lot of things up for you.

However, if you have a question that we didn’t answer below, send us an email, and we’ll add it as soon as possible.

First, here are some answers to questions about India’s gambling laws.

Yes and no. It depends on the state.

The Public Gambling Act of 1867 prohibits running or managing a gambling house. The consequences of breaking this law are 3 months in prison and/or ₹200.

This law does state that games of chance are okay. In 1957, horse racing was determined to be a game of skill. Then, in 1968, they said that Rummy is a game of skill. Other games, such as poker, are more or less a grey area, which is strange considering the games they do consider to be games of skill.

Then there’s the Information Technology Act 2000. This act prohibits anything that the country determines will corrupt people or is considered taboo.

Unfortunately, this includes gambling and comes with hefty consequences – ₹100,000 or imprisonment up to 5 years for operators and ₹90,000 per day if you’re caught gambling online.

Currently only 3 states – Goa, Daman, and Sikkim – offer gambling. There are 13 casinos between them. Sikkim planned to issue 3 online gambling licenses in 2010 but was unsuccessful. However, they do have an online lottery.

We found a recent case where an illegal online bookie was arrested. Sonu Yogendra Jalan is considered to be the largest illegal cricket bookmaker.

Authorities scanned his computers and phones and found that he has ties to organized crime and more than 100 illegal bookies.

A couple days later, actor Arbaaz Khan was summoned by police for his connection (placing huge bets) with the betting ring that Sonu Yogendra Jalan was running. The police believe that more of Bollywood’s personalities could be involved.

This is a fresh case, though. We’ll have to wait to see what happens.

These aren’t the only cases, either. We’ve seen several reports where sometimes dozens of people have been arrested for either running a betting operation or game or for participating in one.

If you don’t want to be arrested for gambling, your safest bet is to visit one of the legal casinos in the country. If you must play online, make sure you do so at a (UK) licensed gambling site and use an e-wallet to move your funds.

Goa has the most casinos (10). They contributed Rs. 135 crores to the state’s revenue in 2013. Converted to USD, this comes out to a whopping $19,818,000.

The casinos in India are a stickler for ensuring that their patrons are over the legal gambling age. You can enter the casino if you’re 18 or older, but you cannot gamble yourself until you’re 21.

Experts (since we’re not lawyers or accountants in India) say that gambling winnings count as “casual income.” As such, you’ll have to pay a flat 30% tax on your winnings.

They also say that the casinos typically deduct this tax for you. You’ll want to make sure, though, as you’ll have to pay it come tax time if they didn’t.

Experts say that if there’s no betting or wagering, social gambling doesn’t fall under the Public Gambling Act 1867. This means that it’s not regulated.

However, if the game offers a prize, it may fall under the Prize Competition Act 1955. This law prohibits competitions where the prizes exceed ₹1,000 in a month or if the number of entries exceeds ₹2,000. If either stipulation is exceeded, then the person running the event must get a license.

Online Gambling Options in India

Now let’s answer some questions about the gambling options available to people living in India.

You should have no issues playing or betting on whatever you want. That includes the following gambling options.

• Online poker
• Sports betting
• Casino games
• Online bingo
• Forex

The challenge you’ll face is finding a site that offers all of these options under one roof. Bet365.com is one of the few options we can think of offhand that does.

You’re more likely to find a gambling site that offers sports betting and a casino, or sports betting, a casino, and online poker under one roof. Those are more common than a true all-in-one gambling site.

However, you can also find a site dedicated to a specific gambling option. For example, you can find a standalone sportsbook, casino, or poker room. We have pages on our site dedicated to those specific options.

It’s going to depend on where you have an account. Let’s look at Bet365, for example, as they accept bettors from India.

Here are the sports they currently offer action on.

• American Football
• Australian Rules
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Bowls
• Boxing/UFC
• Cricket
• Cycling
• Darts
• Esports
• Futsal
• Gaelic Sports
• Golf
• Greyhounds
• Horse Racing
• Ice Hockey
• Lotto
• Motor Sports
• Rugby League
• Rugby Union
• Snooker
• Soccer
• Speedway
• Tennis
• Virtual Sports
• Volleyball
• Winter Sports
• Badminton
• Handball
• Netball
• Poker
• Surfing
• Table Tennis
• Trotting
• Water Polo

This doesn’t include all the markets – which is probably in the hundreds, if not thousands – that you can bet on within each sport they cover.

They also offer options such as live betting, live streaming, early payouts, mobile betting, and tons of offers.

That’s within just one sportsbook, too. Combine several sportsbooks together, and Indian bettors will have an abundance of betting options at their fingertips.

You should have no issues finding any casino game online. That includes the following options.

• Hundreds of slot machines such as video slots, classic slots, slots with bonuses, wilds, free spins, and more
• Dozens of table games and variants that include games like blackjack, roulette, Casino Hold’em, War, Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, and Caribbean Stud
• Dozens of video poker titles that include Jacks or Better, 10s or Better, All American Poker, Deuces Wild, Jokers Wild, and more
• Dozens of live casino games. For example, you’ll find live blackjack, roulette, Casino Hold’em, baccarat, and more
• Dozens, if not hundreds, of scratch and arcade games

The challenge here is finding a casino with the specific games, variants, or stakes that you want to play. It also matters if you’re gunning for games from a specific software provider, as each casino works with a different set of developers.

We recommend you read our reviews before choosing a gambling site if there’s something specific you’re looking for.

Game selection will vary the most for poker players, as game selection, variants, stakes, and so on are so different from one room to the next.

Take PokerStars, for example. They have the largest player base in the world. As such, you can find just about any game or variation you want to play there. That includes cash games and tournaments.

That includes popular games such as Texas Hold’em or Omaha and less-popular games such as Badugi or 5-Card Draw. You can play for pennies per hand up to thousands of dollars per hand and everything in between.

You’re not going to find that kind of selection at every/most sites. They simply don’t have the traffic to justify it.

This is where reading our reviews will come in handy. They will save you a ton of time, as we cover the games and stakes you can expect to find at each room.

That said, you should have no problem finding cash games and tournaments at most sites. Most rooms will offer guaranteed tournaments, knockout tournaments, SNGs, shootouts, and satellites, too. And most sites will have micro-stakes starting at $0.01/$0.02-$0.05/$0.10 per hand and less than $1 per tourney.

Yes. You should have no issues finding a mobile-friendly gambling site. Most sites will either have native apps or a mobile-responsive site that you can access from your web browser. The latter is the more common option.

Most gambling sites are compatible with Apple and Android-powered devices. Blackberry and Windows devices are supported, too, though those options are hit or miss.

Our gambling site reviews tell you which sites offer which options and the devices they’re compatible with.

If it was 2010, you’d have to download software for just about everything you wanted to play. And that’s assuming that the gambling site even offered a Mac-friendly download, which many didn’t back then.

Nowadays, that’s no longer an issue. Most sites run HTML5 software or something similar. For you, this means that you don’t have to download software anymore. You can make bets and play games from your browser. Just make sure you’re using browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Firefox, and you should be fine.

Poker rooms will be hit or miss, though. Many rooms will let you play from your browser. However, the catch is that you won’t have full access to all the room’s games and/or features that download users will have access to.

Banking Options for Gambling in India

We’ll now answer some questions about the banking options available to people living in India.

The safest option is to use an e-wallet, such as Skrill or Neteller. This goes for both deposits and cash-outs. E-wallets don’t use banks, so you’re less likely to deal with processing issues.

You can also use options such as credit/debit cards or bank wires. The issue with these banking options is that gambling is prohibited in most of India. You run the risk of having your payment declined.

Ask anyone who has been arrested for gambling. They’ll tell you that’s the best-case scenario.

Yes, most sites offer multiple currency options, one of which is the Indian rupee. You may also be able to place wagers in rupees, too.

We recommend you use rupees (or your native currency) whenever possible. That way you avoid dealing with exchange rates and paying fees, and you know exactly how much you’re betting.

Most gambling sites will have a minimum and maximum deposit and cash-out limit. This varies a ton from site to site, though.

Most sites will have a minimum deposit limit of $10-$25 (converted to rupees). Maxes start at around $200 and can get well into the thousands of dollars. Some sites don’t have maximum deposit limits – you can deposit however much you want.

The minimum cash-out limits will vary from $10-$100. Maxes will start at around $200 and peak at around $1,000 to $5,000. Sometimes this will be per transaction, while other times it’s per day, week, or month. This is something you need to pay attention to if you plan to spend (and win) lots of money.

Many gambling sites will also increase your limits once you’ve verified your accounts. We recommend you do that as soon as possible so that limits won’t be an issue for you.

It depends on where you join. Most sites do, though.

Few sites charge fees on deposits. We imagine that they don’t want to do anything that might discourage you from making a deposit or depositing as much as possible.

Most sites will charge fees on your withdrawals (if they charge anything at all). Fees vary a ton, but you can expect to pay as much as $70 for a bank wire and 2%-7% for credit/debit card transactions.

You’ll also want to keep in mind that you might have fees on your end, too. Your bank might charge you for incoming bank wires ($35+), and e-wallets tend to charge a couple percent on incoming payments.

We can’t help you there, but you can read our reviews to find out what each site charges.

Nearly every gambling site should pay progressive jackpots out in full. That’s because the jackpots aren’t paid out of their pocket – the software provider that made the game usually pays it.

Most legit gambling sites will pay jackpots in full after a holding period of 2-4 weeks. They hold your winnings for a while so that they can make sure the jackpot was won fair and square.

Other gambling sites will pay out progressives on a payment plan. The amount varies but can be something like $3,000 per month until paid to as much as 10% over 10 months.

As always, it depends on the site. Even though it’s unlikely that you’ll win a 6- or 7-figure jackpot, if you plan to play them, we recommend you join a site that pays them out in full.

You never know. You could win one.

Here are answers to questions about the gambling offers available to players in India.

You should be able to claim just about any offer available to anyone else in the world. That includes offers such as these.

• Welcome bonuses
• Reload bonuses
• Free bets
• Free spins
• VIP programs
• Cash back
• Guaranteed poker tournaments
• Satellites to live poker events
• Reduced sports vigorish

And more.

The size of the welcome bonus can vary significantly from site to site. We’ve seen sportsbook welcome bonuses that range from RS. 2500 ($36 USD) to RS. 50,000 ($735 USD).

That’s a wide spectrum. But the point is that you should have no issues finding offers to claim.

These are terms that the gambling site has for each of their offers. They have these terms to prevent people from signing up, claiming their bonuses, and immediately cashing out.

A playthrough is the number of times you’re required to wager your bonus. For example, say there’s a 40x playthrough on the $1,000 bonus you claimed. This means that you’ll need to wager $40,000 ($1,000*40) before you can cash out.

If you cash out too soon, you risk having your winnings voided and/or the rest of your bonus funds confiscated.

Keep in mind that the playthrough can be multiplied against your bonus and deposit. For example, if you deposited $1,000 to get that $1,000 bonus, with a 40x playthrough, you’d need to wager $80,000 before you could cash out.

That’s pretty high, but not as high as the playthrough for table game and video poker players. Whatever the default playthrough is (which applies to slots players), table and video poker players will need to wager 5x-20x that. This can come out to tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

You’ll have to decide for yourself if those kinds of offers are worth pursuing or not.

Free bets are more like insurance than bets. Most sites don’t give you $10 or $20 to make a bet with. Instead, they tell you that when you make a bet and it loses, they’ll reimburse you up to $25 or $50. If you win, you get nothing.

Free bets are usually for a specific game or sport. Most free bet offers will have a wager requirement (on your winnings) that you’ll need to complete before you cash out.

It depends on the offer.

If the free spins are offered in addition to a welcome bonus, you’ll usually get 10-20 free spins per day until they run out. If you fail to use your spins within 24 hours, many casinos will take them away.

Sometimes you can use free spins for whatever machine you want (with a few exceptions). Other times, the free spins will be for a specific set of machines, sometimes from a specific software provider or for a new machine the casino added.

Playthrough requirements will vary, too. Some casinos let you have your winnings without having to play through them first. Other times, you’ll need to complete a playthrough (30x or higher) before you can cash out.

This depends on the product (sports, casino, poker, etc.), as well as the kind of offer.

Sportsbooks will often offer cash-back on your losses. For example, you might be able to claim an offer where you’ll receive 10% of your net losses each week up to so many dollars.

Casinos and poker rooms may do something similar. You’ll get a small percentage of your losses paid back to you every so often (daily or weekly). Sometimes these are for specific sports, markets, or games, while in other cases it’s available sitewide.

Another kind of cash-back offer is the points program. The gambling site will give you 1 point for every $1 or $10 or $100 you spend. Once you accumulate 100, 500, 1,000, or however many points, they’ll give you some cash-back. The minimum amount is usually $1 or $5.

Cash-back offers are a nice way to minimize your losses. It’s also a nice surprise when you get a little money deposited into your account after you thought you busted your bankroll.

Choosing the Best Indian Gambling Sites

This section answers questions about finding the best online gambling sites in India.

We think so. Licenses don’t guarantee your safety, but they force gambling sites to do paperwork and front a 5- or 6-figure fee. That’s going to weed a lot of bad people out.

Depending on where the license is from, you’ll have options for if you ever have a dispute with the gambling site that you can’t resolve on your own. Again, there are no guarantees that you’ll have your problems solved.

It’s better than having NO options, though, which is what a lot of gambling jurisdictions offer.

There are a few attributes we look for. In no particular order, these are some of the things we look for.

• That the gambling site is licensed and regulated
• That they have a positive reputation within the industry
• That they don’t have a history of rogue behavior
• That their terms aren’t predatory (unfair)
• That their games are tested regularly for randomness (which means they’re fair)
• That the site pays out their customers quickly and without issue

If a site checks all these boxes, they’re good to go.

There are other things you can look for, such as how long they’ve been in business, the size of their bonuses (usually, “bigger” equals a shoddy site), or you can look up their parent companies.

However, these factors don’t produce consistent results. Not like the items in the list above will.

There’s no way we can answer that. Not without knowing what you want to bet on or play. The best we can do as far as blind recommendations go is point you to our list of sites at the top of this page.

That said, we recommend you create a list of what you want from a gambling site. For example, you might answer the following questions.

• Do you want to bet sports?
• Do you want to play casino games? What kinds of games do you want to play – slots, table games, live casino games, etc.?
• Do you want to play poker?
• Do you want to play bingo?
• What banking options do you want to use?
• What limits do you want to play for?
• What kinds of offers or deals do you want to claim?

Rate your answers in order of importance. Then look for a site that has most of what you’re looking for.

Chances are you’re going to have to compromise somewhere. Maybe you find a site that has all the live dealer games you want, but their promotions suck. Maybe there’s a site that has great prices on their football markets, but their poker room has no traffic.

Online Gambling Legal In India

Just do your best. If you can find a site that has 75% of what you want or more, you’re doing well.

Customer support is important to us. Casinos are providing a service. If you have any questions or problems, especially after you’ve deposited money, you should be able to get help ASAP.

Gambling sites should offer email support (via email or contact form) at the very least. Everyone uses email nowadays, and not every issue requires phone or live chat support.

Email support should be quick. We expect responses in less than 24 hours and preferably within 3-6 hours. Many of the best gambling sites accomplish this, no problem, despite having hundreds or even thousands of customers.

We also like sites that offer live chat. It’s a great way to get help quickly without having to get on the phone with someone.

Gambling sites that offer phone support – which is rare – get a virtual high-five from us. Some of the most popular sites have thousands of customers. We can’t imagine the infrastructure a site like this needs in order to help people by phone.

We also like sites that provide in-depth FAQ sections – sort of like the one you’re reading now. These often cover dozens or even hundreds of commonly asked questions that gambling sites get daily. That includes questions about their banking options and fees and how their offers work.

We recommend you start with the site’s FAQ section whenever you have a question. It might just be the fastest way to get your question answered.

Online Legal Gambling Sites In India Sites

There you have it. That’s a 30,000-foot view of gambling in India.

Indians are unlucky in that they don’t have nearly as many options as players around the rest of the world do. Offline gambling is only available in a couple of states. Online gamblers have it even worse, as it’s not only possible but likely that they’ll receive a fine if they’re caught gambling.

That’s not to say that you can’t gamble online, but that it’s probably illegal where you live. That’s something you’ll have to do your own due diligence on, though.

However, if you decide to give online gambling a shot, there are several safe and legit sites that you can join. Each one will have plenty of games and betting opportunities within their sportsbook, casino, and poker room.

Online Legal Gambling Sites In India Now

The fastest way to get started is to choose from our list of recommended sites above. Just scroll back to the top, choose a site, and you’ll be placing your bets in just a few minutes.