Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
imagesource:businessstandardimagesource:businessstandard

India is a massive country with a huge and diverse population. Part of the population has a very liberal worldview, while another part remains very conservative. Therefore, the population is often incredibly divided on key issues such as gambling and whether or not it should be legal.

It is not surprising that there are plenty of people in India who enjoy gambling. Sports are a huge part of Indian culture, and betting on the outcome of sports has always been a national pastime. Sports betting on cricket and horse races remains very popular.

Casino gambling and playing poker used to be popular among the elite, but are now becoming mainstream even among ordinary citizens.

However, despite the popularity of gambling in India, gambling is technically prohibited in most of its forms. There are some exceptions, but there is very little in the way of legalised and regulated gambling. Much of the legislation which relates to gambling is unclear. This is especially true when it comes to online gambling.

As a result, it is difficult to determine exactly what is legal and what is not in India. The legalities of gambling have been the subject of extensive debate for many years, but there hasn’t been much progress in terms of clarifying things. The fact that there is gambling related legislation at both central and state level makes things even more confusing.

Present Gambling Laws in India

The Constitution of India empowers each state to make its own gambling laws. This means there are numerous state-specific deviations. For example, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have banned online games.

Most of India is subject to the Public gambling Act of 1867 and the Technology Act of 2000. The IT Act of 2000 made provision for various offences relating to online activity, although there’s no mention of online betting being illegal, only physical gambling.

At state level, there are two states which have introduced legislation relating specifically to online gambling. In Maharashtra, it’s completely prohibited, while in Sikkim the government now has the authority to issue licenses to operators wishing to provide online gambling services within the state. This is a notable step forward for regulated gambling in India.

Casino gambling is regulated by the Public Gambling Act, 1867 and is outside the legal ambit of gambling. But, Indian gamblers who prefer to play their luck in casinos can enjoy it in Sikkim and Goa.

These 2 states are the only states, which have legalised casino gambling to a limited extent only under state approved license i.e. at five star hotels. It is also allowed on the board of an offshore vessel/ship.

The future of online betting laws in India

It is not unreasonable to expect that, in the coming years, the gambling legislation in India will be updated and amended in order to provide a more clear idea of what’s illegal and what’s not.

There have been some hints that the government wants to regulate online betting on a national level. However, there is a lack of motivation to perform the necessary political legwork that is required for such a massive operation.

Hoping to bring uniformity into the sector, the online gaming industry as well as experts have been urging the Indian government to set up a self-regulatory body which will standardize regulations governing online betting.

In order to protect the public from ill-effects of these activities and to increase transparency, the need of the hour is a clear law that governs online gambling and betting activities.

It would seem as if a large section of the population remain very conservative and opposed to the idea of legalising online betting. However, the youth, who are the future of the country, are more open-minded towards legalisation, and if the youth continue to support legalisation, then legal and regulated online betting will undoubtedly become a reality in India.

By gautam