Discover everything you need to know about online casino gambling laws in India and find out whether playing at India’s online casinos is legal and safe
Many Indians like the idea of gambling. That much is clear. And these days, with the advent of online casinos, games like roulette, blackjack and poker are just a click away. But before you go ahead and place your bets, you need to know whether it is safe and legal to do so. So let’s look at the question: “Is online casino legal in India?”
Are online casino games legal in India?
It would be nice and easy to say, “Yes, it’s legal.” Or “No, that’s illegal” and get an answer to that question in no time. But unfortunately it’s not that simple. Not when it comes to online gambling in India. Instead, it is a real “gray area” of the legal system that causes all sorts of confusion among the local population.
So how does it work? India uses a regional system on this issue. In other words, each state enacts its own laws regarding playing at online casinos. So there is no uniform federal/national regulation on this topic. And that means that depending on where you are in Indian territory, you may have to follow very different rules than someone in a neighboring state.
Therefore, the average Indian cannot simply assume that it is legal or illegal to play in online casinos 1Win Casino. Instead, they need to find out about the situation in their part of the country. Some aspiring players will get lucky and live in an area that is good for playing online poker and other games. Others will be less fortunate and excluded from these gaming experiences entirely.
How online casino laws differ by state
Gambling get bigger than ever before. And many Indians would like to play games like roulette and slot machines. But not everyone can do it. Here’s how the rules vary:
- Andhra Pradesh: Illegal (as per Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974)
- Arunachal Pradesh: Unclear
- Assam: Illegal (under the Assam Game and Betting Act, 1970)
- Bihar: Unclear
- Chhattisgarh: Unclear
- Goa: Legal, but with some regulations
- Gujarat: Illegal (under the Gujarat Prevention of Gambling Act, 1887)
- Haryana: Unclear
- Himachal Pradesh: Unclear
- Jharkhand: Unclear
- Karnataka: Illegal (as per Karnataka Police Act, 1963)
- Kerala: Illegal (as per the Kerala Gaming Act, 1960)
- Madhya Pradesh: Unclear
- Maharashtra: Illegal (under the Bombay Wager Act, 1867)
- Manipur: Unclear
- Meghalaya: Legal, with some regulations
- Mizoram: Unclear
- Nagaland: Legal, but only for games of skill
- Odisha: Illegal (as per Odisha Prevention of Gambling Act, 1955)
- Punjab: Unclear
- Rajasthan: Unclear
- Sikkim: Legal, but with regulations
- Tamil Nadu: Illegal (as per the Tamil Nadu Gaming Act, 1930)
- Telangana: Illegal (as per Telangana State Gaming Act)
- Tripura: Unclear
- Uttar Pradesh: Unclear
- Uttarakhand: Unclear
- West Bengal: Legal, but only for games of skill
Please remember that these are only the most recent court rulings at the time of writing. States regularly review online casino rules and can introduce new ones without much delay. So you need to stay up to date with the latest developments wherever you go to avoid coming into contact with new and unexpected restrictions.
Other important things you should know about the legality of online casinos in India
Here are a few more important points about online casino legality in India:
The Public Law of 1867
At the federal level, much discussion about the legality of online casinos is based on a fairly old law, the Public Gambling Act (1867). It states that it is illegal to run or operate a public gambling establishment, but since this happened long before the days of the internet and casino apps, it doesn’t have much impact in terms of online gambling.
Skill and chance
Many states differentiate between games that rely solely on luck and those that require skill. For example, you could say poker is a Game of skillas the player has a degree of control over the outcome and can use tactics and strategies to influence the game. But many slot machines are simply based on luck.
Casinos from other countries
There are many online casinos that are operated and operated from other countries. Controlling these (and who is allowed to play there) is much more difficult than regulating casinos in your own country. So it’s another “gray area” when it comes to whether you can play at casinos operating in other countries, such as the US or parts of Europe.
Online Gambling in India: A Legal Minefield
All in all, the situation with online gambling in India is quite unclear. More regulation is needed to bring clarity to this concept and make it clear to people what they can and cannot do safely when they want to gamble and gamble online. In the meantime, if you are in India and feel like it Play onlineCheck your state’s laws beforehand.
