It’s no secret that India is a country that loves to gamble. It’s simply an activity that has been part of the Indian culture for hundreds of years. It’s why it’s not surprising that online casinos and sportsbooks are getting more attention in the country. The internet offers a great and easier way to be able to participate in any gambling activities.
The best online casino in India with real money can tell you why online gambling is the better option. However, do you ever wonder what motivates people to avail the services of online casinos? This is something that we’ll explore so keep on reading!
Indian Gambling Laws
With the popularity of online casinos, you’re probably wondering how this happened even though gambling is technically illegal in most parts of India. Well, you have to know that the gambling regulations in place in India are based on The Public Gaming Act of 1867.
This law prohibits running or being in charge of public gambling houses. This means that no casinos are allowed to operate in most parts of the country. We say only most parts of India because there are states where there are casinos that are allowed to operate. These are in the states of Goa, Sikkim, and Daman.
This means that if people want to play casino games, they will have to travel to these states to do so legally. However, because the Public Gaming Act was passed in 1867, it doesn’t have any mention of online casinos and bookies. This is why online casinos are not illegal in India as long as they are based offshore.
There are newer gaming laws implanted in India like the Information Technology Act of 2000. However, even this failed to mention anything about online gambling. The same goes for the Information Technology Act of 2008. This is why no player who would access an online casino while in India can get in any trouble.
However, know that gambling is still a state subject which means that each local government can decide to place a ban or prohibit offshore online casinos to offer their services to the locals. This is the case in states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka.
These states have imposed a ban on online gaming because it is so popular that people are expressing their concerns on how it could be addictive. However, some critics think that this is a step backward from the development of India’s gaming industry.
Aside from these three states, Tamil Nadu also implemented a ban on online gaming early last year. However, before 2021 ended, the Madras High Court found this to be unconstitutional. The court found the legislation to be excessive and disproportionate. This is why today, Tamil Nadu no longer has an active ban on online gambling but the High Court still said that the state can still come up with new legislation as long as it’s not deemed unconstitutional.
Despite these states having a ban on online gaming, however, statistics show that most punters in the country are from Telangana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. This is why many are instead bothered by the lack of progressive laws.
In countries like the United Kingdom where people are keen to gamble, online gambling is regulated instead. This way, gamblers are protected by the government. Some projects help people with gambling problems. The thing about banning online gambling is that it could be dangerous instead because people are still placing their bets online without any protection from the law.
Advantages of Online Casinos
While online gambling is still in the grey area in India, many people are showing more interest in it. Aside from casino games, Indians also love sports and bet on them. This is especially the case for cricket and football.
Thanks to online casinos and sportsbooks, cricket fans can easily place their bets on any domestic and international cricket event. MyBetting released a report last year that in India, over 370 million people would place bets on major sports each year and 140 million of them would bet regularly.
All that is possible because of online casinos and bookies. You can easily tell that even gambling companies themselves see so much potential in India’s betting market. Many international betting sites are trying to make things more convenient to Indian bettors by allowing transactions with the local currencies with the most convenient payment solutions like UPI, Paytm, and PhonePe.
Overall, what makes online casinos so popular in India is convenience. Thanks to these online casinos, people can play real money games and bet on their favorite cricket matches anywhere they are.
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