Sports in all its manifestations are adored all over the world, including in India. At the same time, adherents of various sports disciplines are divided into several categories. So, some are actively involved in certain sports, others are devoted fans of specific athletes or teams, or they actively follow all the events that take place in the industry in the country or around the world. In addition, there is a third category of sports fans who not only root for their favorite team but also, use their knowledge, place bets on victory, and receive significant benefits from this.
In particular, in India, among all the huge variety of sports, cricket is the most widely demanded. Millions of Indians not only are looking forward to and actively following the most important competitions in this field, which include the IPL 2022 – the Indian professional Twenty20 Premier League. Ten teams from ten Indian cities take part in this competition. So, for example, a colorful competition is expected – the confrontation between the teams RR vs KXIP, which is followed and sincerely rooting for its winner by a huge number of devoted sports fans. In addition, other teams that are already known in the IPL schedule this season will fight for the championship. Even though it has not yet been officially announced, it is already available online.
Is betting legal in India?
There are no federal laws in India prohibiting online betting. Each state can decide if they want to introduce laws regarding online betting. And so far, only a few states in India have enacted laws against online betting. Thus, this means that online betting is legal in India, except in a few states.
The legal situation surrounding the use of online betting sites in India is completely unclear. The Gambling Act of 1867 does not have any mention of online betting. Based on this, we can conclude that online betting is not mentioned in Indian betting laws and hence is not formally prohibited. Instead, the Indian government has left it up to the states to decide whether to legalize online betting or outlaw it in their state. In addition, the government of the country does not prosecute people who engage in online betting in India.
What does the future of online betting look like in India?
Despite all the hurdles that betting in India has experienced from time to time over the past few years, the future of the online betting industry looks positive. This is because many states have begun to consider legalizing betting or have already taken concrete steps to do so.
Moreover, the well-known politician and MP Shashi Tharoor even introduced a bill called “Sports (Online Gaming and Fraud Prevention)” to Parliament. In his bill, he hopes to legalize the online sports betting industry, as well as introduce regulations to stop the illegal laundering of black money, as well as protect the interests of users.
While the industry is moving in the right direction, only time will tell if India is ready to legalize and regulate gambling in the country.
