Betting and Gaming in India: Legal, Illegal or in Between?
India is a country known for its culture all around the world. Like most ancient societies Indians in the past loved to play sports and place bets. This type of hobby is present today all around the globe. The betting and gaming industry has advanced on a global level by making websites that offer all the odds and games of their land-based counterparts. They’ve also introduced new odds, bonuses and promotions add new players to the fold. Additionally, their service has been available as apps for some time now. But what about India?
All interactive gaming and betting sites pay a hefty tax to the state they’re based in, but that doesn’t stop them from going strong. The situation in India, however, is a bit complicated. If you were born and bred in India then you’re prohibited by law to play games at casinos or place bets. But you can play the lottery, that is if it’s approved by the state. Also, no Indian laws prohibit citizens to place bets and play games at online casinos so what’s the deal?
Live Betting in India – Is It Possible?
It isn’t possible to place bets in a land-based sportsbook because there aren’t any unless you want to do it illegally and go to jail. But this isn’t the case if you want to place bets online. You’re free to do that. The act doesn’t have specific regulations regarding the internet because it’s from 1867, the net didn’t exist then. So it’s possible to place bets on sports on sites like Dafabet, Bet365 and 10cric live in India. They’re regulated by themselves and the state has nothing to do with them.
What About the Lottery?
The lottery is a whole other story. It’s legal for citizens to participate in a lottery but first, it has to be approved by the state and not be drawn more than once a week. Again there are illegal lotteries that are being held but the organizers never end well. India’s constitution gives the freedom of each state to make its gaming laws, which includes betting. The benefit of this is that each state can set the amount of money that sportsbooks and casinos need to pay as tax. The amount of money gathered would be huge since casinos and sportsbooks, both offline and online, are profitable. If India decides to legalize betting and gaming it could reap many benefits.
The Situation with Gaming
Playing casino games online is alright, playing them offline in a casino if you’re an Indian citizen isn’t. There are land-based casinos in India, but if it’s illegal for citizens to play, then why do they have them? Foreigners of age 18 and above are legally allowed to play casino games at brick-and-mortar casinos. All they need is their passport to prove that they’re the right age and US dollars, the only currency Indian casinos accept, to play.
Online casinos are overlooked by the law. Technically they’re not illegal and if you’re from India you won’t get busted for playing at one such site. That’s why most Indians play their favorite casino games online and are forced to wait for more favorable legislation.
A Final Word
India has a tricky situation regarding its laws on gaming and betting. Online and offline casinos reap hefty profits because millions of people play them. If each state legalized and regulated them they would have a bigger budget that would later be used for better purposes.
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