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If you want to play top slots, table games, and even bet on sports at Indian casinos, you can do that. There are specific rules that casinos must stick to, to make that a reality. We will cover those, too. If you want to learn about the legality of Indian casinos, read on to find out more.
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Many players worldwide wonder just how legal it is to play online casino games in the country they reside in, and Indian players are no different.
As India does not have its own licensing authority, and its online gambling laws are hazy and fall into many grey zones, the question is arguably more pressing for those in the sub-continent.
However, we are here to tell you that playing at an online casino in India is legal, and we are prepared to go through the motions to explain to you why.
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All the casinos which feature at our site are legally allowed to offer casino games to Indian players. However, some are safer, more trustworthy and excel for other reasons over their competitors.
Here are three of the absolute best online casinos in India that are legal.
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LeoVegas is easily one of the most trusted online casinos in the world. The famous operator features gambling licenses issued out of Malta and the United Kingdom and has a host of responsible gambling tools to offer players in India to keep them safe. If you want maximum security and fair games, LeoVegas is the way to go.
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Casumo Casino is most notable for its extensive collection of slot games. Over 2,000 games comfortably sit in Casumo’s library. Moreover, this mobile-friendly site has thirty-odd software providers dishing out titles and no shortage of nifty bonuses for you to claim. Those bonuses can then be used on most of the major titles supported at the site.
10Cric is one of the major casinos that focuses exclusively on players in India. Because of that, the flavour of India is running throughout the domain. It still needs to be secure and safe, though, and it is. 10Cric is licensed out of Curacao and promotes responsible gambling.
India has a complicated history with gambling. Some of the world’s oldest games, such as Snakes and Ladders, Chess, Ludo, and Polo, all “potentially” have their origins in ancient India. While the history behind these games is shrouded in no small amount of mystery and can be hotly debated, the modern history of Indian gambling is a much clearer cut.
Indian kings are known to have played games with one another dating as far back as 2,000 BC. As in all ancient civilisations, where games were played, gambling was involved. Some of the world’s earliest recorded warnings of the perils of gambling come from India, with the story of Shakuni, Yudhishthira and the eventual exile of the Pandavas covered by those tales.
Colonial India saw its first-ever gambling act introduced in 1867. It was reportedly published in a bid to stop out of control gambling, an element the Brits seem to have brought with them when they introduced India to cricket to horse racing. The Public Gambling Act of 1867 still has a lot of precedence today. It effectively outlawed gambling, save for rummy, horse racing and lotto games.
For many decades this was essentially how things were. However, by the later 1990s, online casino gambling was coming to the forefront. India took steps to outlaw online casino gambling at Indian businesses. However, no such provision was made for offshore casinos. It is these casinos operating in a grey zone that allows for the legalisation of online casinos in most Indian states in 2022.
Therefore, online casinos in India are legal under specific terms and conditions, and now we need to look at how that is possible.
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The renowned Public Gambling Act of 1867 is still very much in effect in India. It clearly states that Indian businesses are not permitted to offer gambling options to players.
However, unsurprisingly, the British did not have online casinos in mind when they wrote the Gambling Act over one hundred and fifty years ago. While the act has been amended several times over the years, it still affords gamblers one sizable loophole.
The law prohibits Indian casinos from operating online. Amendments to the law now make it clear that Indian gambling operators can offer their services to players in their own territories and states, but not those based outside. In most cases, they tend to be land-based venues. For instance, a player in one Indian state is free to bet in all brick-and-mortar establishments licensed in that state but not in another.
Despite this, the law neglects to mention casinos that are based outside of the country. These are effectively known as offshore casinos, foreign casinos, or international casino sites. Under India’s gambling laws, there is nothing to prohibit Indians from signing up and playing at these foreign sites, which is something that many millions of Indians take advantage of.
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There is one Indian state and territory that does not want to play ball. Both Goa and Sikkim have both authorised land-based gambling venues inside their regions, but only for their residents.
They have gone further, too. They do not permit online gambling games. Sikkim and Goa have been quite specific in their laws, and they do not afford residents the same “offshore casino loophole” that their neighbours do.
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Many online casinos in India are legal, but they must be licensed and based offshore. This has not been a problem for most operators, with many of the world’s leading and most trusted operators setting up websites for Indian players that are located elsewhere.
Offshore casinos catering to Indians could be covered by several licenses. Below, you will find a list of the most found casino licenses.
Not all of them are suitable for players who want to play legal online casino games in India, as you can see…
| Licensing Authority | Safe | Keythings to note |
|---|---|---|
|
Costa Rica |
No |
Costa Rican casinos tend to have gambling licenses but are not regulated most of the time. |
|
Curacao |
Yes |
Curacao casinos are licensed and forced to be regulated by third-party auditors. |
|
Gibraltar |
Yes |
Gibraltar casinos are licensed and regulated to the latest industry-standard levels. |
|
Kahnawake |
Yes |
Kahnawake casinos are licensed and regulated to the latest industry-standard levels |
|
Malta (MGA) |
Yes |
MGA casinos are amongst the most heavily regulated and safest in the world. |
|
Panama |
No |
Panama licensed casinos tend to have gambling licenses but are not regulated most of the time. |
|
United Kingdom (UKGC) |
Yes |
UKGC casinos are the safest in the world. They are heavily regulated, forced to adhere to responsible gambling policies, and regularly checked for fair play, security, and safety. |
To be deemed a safe and legal casino in India, we would expect to see offshore operators obtain a gambling license.
However, there are lots of licenses out there, and each license has its own reputation. For instance, UKGC and MGA licensed casinos are heavily regulated, have strict policies and terms that their casinos must follow to maintain their license, and are regularly checked to ensure that they are professional.
By contrast, Costa Rican and Panamanian licensed casinos have virtually no regulation. The license to offer gameplay legally means virtually nothing if these casinos are not checked to ensure that they offer fair games, responsible gambling tools and secure socket layer encryption.
There are other things worth considering, too, and we will look at those next. Let us just say first that if you are going to join an online casino that is legal in India, aim to join one with one of the better licenses listed above.
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Responsible gambling is a major issue in the online casino world nowadays. It is no longer enough for a casino to claim to be safe or have a license. Those things will not stop an Indian player from ending up in trouble if they game irresponsibly. As such, we want to see casinos that go out of their way to protect Indian players from the perils of online gambling.
The best-licensed casinos are made to incorporate a variety of responsible gambling tools to protect players. When you opt to play at these legal casinos in India, you can expect to have the following tools at your disposal:
These allow you to set your own deposit, wager, and loss limits so you do not overspend and end up in financial trouble.
These offer you a timely reminder of how long you have been playing. By doing so, it is hoped that you can make an informed decision about whether to continue betting or to take a break.
You can also set a timer on your gameplay at the best licensed Indian casinos. These will “cut you off” when you have reached that timer. Only once a period has passed can you resume betting.
All the best legal online casinos in India will also be affiliated with problem gambling programs. If you sign up for these programs, you can effectively shut yourself out of all casinos (not just your own) that are signed up to the same program for months, even years.
These tools should all allow Indian players the added security they need to avoid the perils of online gambling. If your chosen Indian online casino does not offer them, we will hesitate to call it one of India’s best legal online casinos.
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India’s gambling laws are relatively straightforward to grasp when it comes to the types of games you can play. Casinos, sports betting, bingo, and lottery games are legal.
E-sports betting is not covered by any existing gambling laws and is effectively legal as a result.
| Type of Gambling Sites | Legal in India? |
|---|---|
|
Online Casinos (Slots, Card Games) |
Yes |
|
Sports Betting |
Yes |
|
Online Bingo Rooms |
Yes |
|
Online Lotteries |
Yes |
|
Online e-Sports |
Yes |
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If you still have questions about the legality of online casinos in India, allow us to help clear up those issues with this brief but concise FAQ.
Not at all. Indian rupees play no part in determining whether an online casino is legal in India. Of course, it is more practical to play with rupees (from a banking point of view), but there is no law that says you must.
Yes. Online casinos are legal in India, assuming that they are based abroad and are well-licensed. We would not just advocate playing at a licensed offshore casino, though. We would recommend playing at a safe one, too.
Yes. The more symbols a slot has, the less likely you are to land a win. This is because there are more symbols to “get in the way” of landing a winning combo. Try and pick slots that feature few symbols. For instance, scatter wilds take on the role of both scatters and wild symbols in one, thus cutting down the need for too many symbols.
Yes. Ultimately it is up to you, though. Indian authorities will not check with offshore casinos to see what you have been up to, but technically you should pay tax on anything you win as it forms “income”. Moreover, offshore casinos are not going to declare any tax owed for you.
Yes. There is no law that determines how many casinos you can join. You are free to join as many legal online casinos in India as you want. However, you are not permitted to have more than one account at any one casino, and you cannot sign-up to play at Indian casinos if they are based in India and located outside your state or territory.
Each of the casinos that we recommend to our players has been closely checked and vetted by our skilled team. They have explored each site inside and out. Not only are they secure, trusted, and safe places to play, but they have some of the best collections of slots online.
Progressive jackpots can be won in many ways. Some are won at random. Others require you to trigger a bonus round, and some are time-based. Many need you to line up specific jackpot symbols on paylines. The truth is that this varies from game to game.
As you can no doubt see, online casinos in India are legal. All you need to do is find the right sort of casino and make sure that it adheres to all the terms and conditions we have listed above.
Alternatively, you can save yourself the trouble and opt to play at one of our recommended Indian casinos. Any of the online casinos featured on our page represent the safest, most secure, fairest, and legal online casino in India.
Any of these should work out a treat for you.
Online Casinos India is a comparator of online casinos in India.
On this website you will find the best reviews of casinos that operate legally in India.
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