Best Indian
Betting Sites

Since there are no federal laws against online betting in India or official regulatory bodies, legal experts believe that betting is not illegal, with the exception of a few states. The only law related to gaming in India is the Public Gaming Act of 1867 which does not mention online betting.

According to this act, each Indian state can decide for itself if it will legalize or ban games of skill and chance. But, there’s no law that forbids sportsbooks and sites based outside of India to offer their services to Indian players. This places online betting in India in the legal grey area.

A game of skill is a game in which players can increase their own chances of winning by learning more about the game. By this logic, betting is allowed, because the more you learn about a particular sport, teams, their stats, etc., you increase your chance of winning a bet.

On the other hand, a game of chance is a game in which players have absolutely no impact on its outcome. So, no matter how much you study the game, you can never affect the outcome. However, since online sportsbooks are not based in India, none of these games are illegal.

There are no specific laws regarding online gaming in most Indian states, making it legally a grey area. While many bookmakers are offering their services to Indian bettors, so far, there have been no legal records of the government prosecuting or charging Indian players for online betting, so you can sign up and place bets without any worries.

The government is aware that every day millions of Indians bet online, but they still haven’t decided to make any laws for legalizing online gaming. The bookmakers just have to follow two rules: they should allow payments in Indian rupees, and they may not operate on Indian territory unless they have been specifically allowed by individual states.

Each state can decide whether it will ban, legalize, or stay in the legal grey area. Following that, Andhra Pradesh has banned all forms of gambling under the Andhra Pradesh Gaming (Amendment) Act of 2020. Telangana has also banned all types of gambling including online gambling and skill games under the Telangana Gaming Act of 2017, but they’re in the process of reviewing this decision.

Tamil Nadu is another state that has banned online gaming. State officials claim online betting is driving players into debt and raising the rates of suicide.
However, the eGaming Association is challenging this ban since the state has put rummy and poker under the category of games of chance, which goes against the Madras High Court.

This is very possible, since the government has already started working on the issue and proposed the The Online Gaming Regulation Bill of 2022. According to the bill, India will establish an Online Gaming Commission responsible for issuing gaming licenses, stipulating laws and rules, and overseeing all gaming activity in India.

Regulating online betting and gambling could be beneficial to India since the country could have great financial gains from taxing Indian players. Having clear laws and a comprehensive regulatory framework would make it a lot easier for Indian players to understand what is legal. However, this will take some time.

Chhattisgarh adopts the Chhattisgarh Gambling Prohibition Bill, banning games of chance in all online and land-based betting houses.

However, games of skill, such as fantasy sports, rummy, poker, and similar, are exempt from this decision.

Tamil Nadu bans online gaming again, claiming that it’s driving players into debt and raising the rates of suicide.

The eGaming Association is challenging this ban since the state put rummy and poker under the category of games of chance.

Telangana announced that they are reviewing their decision to ban all types of gambling.

The state planned on assembling a committee and drafting a law to present it to the cabinet.

The Online Betting Regulation Bill is introduced by announcing an Online Gaming Commission.

The Commission would oversee the gaming activity in India, issue gaming licenses, and set down laws and rules.

The High Court overturns Karnataka’s decision to ban all forms of gaming.

The state didn’t have legislative competence to ban games of skill, but only games of chance.

Karnataka decides to ban online gambling by amending the Karnataka Police Act of 1963.

It targeted both games of skill and games of chance, stating that any wagering is illegal.

The High Court overturns Kerala’s decision to ban online rummy on the basis that rummy is a game of skill.

The High Court overturned the state’s decision by claiming that banning playing the game online is unconstitutional.

The High Court overturns Tamil Nadu’s decision, betting is no longer illegal.

The court stated that such a wide-ranging ban doesn’t meet the least intrusive measure test.

Tamil Nadu bans online betting by amending the Tamil Nadu Gaming Act of 1930.

The bill prohibited all types of betting in the state, including poker and rummy.

The state of Kerala amends the Kerala Gaming Act to ban online rummy for the first time.

The reason for this decision was a rise in suicides associated with the game.

Andhra Pradesh adopts the Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act and bans all forms of gambling, including poker and rummy.

If caught, the player could face six months in jail. However, have been no reports of player prosecution.

In June and July 2017, the state of Telangana amends the Telangana Gaming Act of 1974.

By doing so, the state banned all types of gambling, including games of skill.

Sikkim legalises online gambling and tries regulating the market by issuing licenses.

This has turned out to be a very slow process, and there’s a very limited number of Sikkim-licensed casinos.