Gambling Laws In India – The Current Situation

Welcome to our article, in which we will give you an overview of the gambling laws in India. Let’s start by giving you a rough idea of the current state of gaming in the country. Gambling in India, in general, was strictly forbidden outside of the common gaming houses. In recent years more and more Indian players are placing cash bets and taking part in illegal gambling activities. This is considered by the government as a pathway to more serious crime. There is, of course, legal ways to gamble because three of the states do offer land-based casinos and there are no particular online gaming laws in India that mention cyber gambling or regulations for it. Stick with us as we delve deeper into this subject and give you some information on what your gambling options are in the country of India.

The Gambling Act in India

India and gambling have a long history that dates back to the 19th century. The year 1867 witnessed the creation of a Gambling Act in India. The Public Gambling Act of 1867 is a central law that forbids from owning or being in charge of a public gambling establishment. With these gambling laws India prohibits people visiting such gabling houses. Of course, penalties were in place from fines to even up to 3 months of imprisonment. Even though there are such restrictions placed through law, there is still a lot of illegal gambling taking place on the territory of the country.

The Indian gambling market is estimated to be worth over £48 billion out of which about half are considered to be through illegal gambling. The games are divided into two categories in the country – games of skill and games of chance. Except for them, there are lotteries, horse racing, prize competitions and sports betting. In the end, gambling is a state affair in India and not all states have such harsh restrictions. There are different gambling laws in each state and three of these states allow land-based casinos except for the standard state-run establishments.

Here are the most notable gambling laws in India:

India Sports Betting

Neither the Supreme Court of India nor a High Court of a state have clarified weather sports betting is a game of chance or game of skill. This has created a grey area in the gambling market, where a lot of the attention of players is invested. There are states like the state of Sikkim that have legalized online sports betting through their Sikkim Online Gaming Regulation Act from 2008. With it, licenses for sports betting can now be issued and regulated.

India Lottery

Until 1998, there was no specific gaming laws in India that rendered lotteries illegal. With the Lotteries Regulation Act from 1998, the Parliament made the foundation on which to apply regulation and define lotteries. This was further succeeded with the 2010 Lottery Rules Act, where further regulation regarding the number of draws, minimum prize money, payouts and more.

Horse Racing in India

The Public Gambling Act in India from 1867 received an amendment shortly after concerning horse racing regulation. It is considered a game of skill and gambling on it is considered legal in 11 states. These states are Delhi, Assam, Karnataka, Andhra Prandesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Active horse racing though is held at only the turf clubs of the 9 states of Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ooty, Pune, Bangalore, Mysore and Hyderabad.

Games of Chance

As we look deep into the gambling laws India is firm in their regulations. The games of chance largely fall into the category of gambling acts that are mostly forbidden in the states of India. As we mentioned before the gambling laws in India may vary a bit depending on the state. For example, in the state of Goa, there are exceptions to the law, where authorized gaming is allowed. Licenses for games of chance in land-based and offshore casinos can be issued there. Also, the state of Sikkim allows casino games after accepting their Sikkim Casino Games Act in 2004.

Gambling Laws in Each State – Play in Indian Casinos

Let’s talk about the gambling laws in each state of India. There are three states in the country that have changed their laws in order to allow and regulate casino gaming. They are Goa, Sikkim and Daman. There are two casinos in Sikkim, called Casino Sikkim and Casino Mahjong. The most popular of all states though is Goa. It has over 10 casinos on its territory and it is the main gambling location in India. Six of them are land-based and four are off-shore, operating in the Mandovi River. The floating casino establishments are the most prestigious in the country and are named Casino Deltin Royale, Casino Deltin Jaqk, Casino Pride and Casino Pride 2.

Legal Casinos in India

Online Gambling in India – Indian Online Casino Sites

Since the gambling laws in India are more on the harsh side making it necessary to go to one of the three states to enjoy casino games, then is there an alternative? Well, actually there is. You can quench all your gaming needs at online casino sites. Online gambling in India can be considered to be in its infancy as there are no clear regulations on it except for one of the states, which is Maharashtra. There, under the Bombay Wager Act, online wagers and gaming are forbidden.

If you are looking for a great place to start your online gambling journey, then this is our specialty and we are eager to assist. You can check out our best casino sites in India top list and pick your next favourite. All of the entries there have been fully checked and tested by our team of experts. No matter what type of casino game you like, you will find it there.

FAQ About Gambling Laws in India

We would like to dedicate this section towards the most frequent queries Indian players have about gaming in the country. We hope that the entries shown below give you a deeper insight into the world of gambling in India and remove any former or future doubts or questions regarding the subject.

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