Betting on anything in India is legal in only a few states. However, there are no laws that outlaw online betting on India. This is a somewhat confusing situation as most players in India might get confused as to where the line is and how not to cross it. Read on as we try to break it down for you.
Are Offshore Companies Confusing Everyone?
Every business wants to take advantage of everything they can to make more money as long as those advantages are not illegal. Offshore companies have long eyed India due to its massive population, and they see a huge customer base. If you are a betting company, you certainly want to tap into this huge market as that would grow your profits exponentially. The problem is that gambling or betting is illegal in most of India.
That has not stopped betting companies from finding loopholes though because there is no law that prohibits online betting in India. As of the writing of this article, no one has been arrested in India for betting online, so this seems like a loophole that can be taken advantage of without any legal repercussions. Now, offshore betting companies are using this loophole to get Indians to bet on anything and everything.
Cricket is Targeted for Obvious Reasons
Cricket is arguably the most popular sport in India and because of this, every betting company wants to have Indians betting on cricket on their website or platform. Because of this, there is an increasing number of websites that advise people on how to bet on cricket games in India on their platforms. In addition to directing people to websites where Indians can place bets, they also offer cricket betting tips for those looking to wager on their favorite teams, players and different games.
All you need to do is visit such websites and click on the links of the bookmakers you would like to use to bet on games with real money. These betting company websites have dedicated cricket pages that list different IPL games that people can bet on.
Much More Than Betting on Games
If you are interested in betting, you can do so much more than the outcomes of the games. The websites that focus on cricket allow you to bet on anything from how the bowlers will play to the toss of a game.
The Legalities
These websites are very careful to avoid any legal issues that might come up by providing details on how and why they provide an avenue for Indians to bet on their websites. Once they have these disclaimers out of the way, they have no problem accepting any players who have an Indian address. Some of them go as far as stating that they accept bets from any state in India.
Even if the Indian government wanted to crack down on these companies, that would be almost impossible. These companies use servers that are located outside India, which means the Indian government might not have any power in stopping them from “operating” in India. These countries often have proper gambling laws which means that even if the Indian government wants to do a crackdown, this would be almost impossible.
The next problem is that a lot of the people who bet in India are relatively tech-savvy. Even if the government tries to block these websites, these users would simply circumvent those efforts using a VPN. These VPNs allow them to access these websites as if they were in the countries hosting their bookmakers’ servers, and it is almost impossible to pinpoint the origin of their connections.
Some Laws Have been Passed
Laws have been in place in the states and territories that allow betting in India for a long time, but some state governments are starting to see the potential of allowing betting in India, especially for tax related reasons. Cricket is huge in India and the potential tax revenue that would be gained from allowing cricket betting in India is also huge.
The Government of Sikkim passed some regulations in 2019 which outlined some regulations for the licensing of online gambling within the state. That did not have any effects as people still opt for online betting on websites whose owners are not located in India.
Betting on cricket in India is big business. Although it is illegal in most states and territories, people still find ways to place bets on betting websites. Perhaps it is time for all Indian states to consider legalizing betting for the tax benefits and the proper regulation of the industry.