Is Betting Legal? The Gambling Laws Of India Explained
While there are rules against gambling in the country, some forms of gambling in India are legal. These are lotteries and Horse Race betting. But even if it is not legal to go to a traditional casino or bookie, there are no laws preventing the Indian players to gamble on the internet.
The gambling rules of the country are very indefinite, vague and old. The guidelines about gambling in Indian law and order is not very specific. This is why online gambling websites are slowly spreading their wings throughout the country.
The Old Laws Do Not Apply To The Internet
The Public Gambling Act in 1867 is a central law that prohibits the Indians from running a gambling house in the country. Breaking this law will be a punishable offence. This law also prohibits players from betting or visiting a gambling house.
However, not all Indian states have abandoned gambling. Since the British were ruling over the country, many states have abandoned gambling and betting in those respective states. However, Goa and Sikkim were the two states who kept gambling completely legal in their states. So, although gambling is illegal in almost all the Indian states, there are two states stands as an exception. In these two states, gambling is 100% legal.
Well, although gambling is not legal in India except for some of the states, there is no law in India for online gambling. And, with so many players engaging in online gambling, it will be very dumb of us to think the government does not know the situation. So, if they wanted to prohibit people from engaging in online gambling, they would have brought a change to the 1867 law and prohibit or regulate online gambling too. So, online gambling stays legal in the country to this day, as the rule is not definite about the prohibition of this form of gambling. So go ahead and claim your bonus and start playing, there is no legal risk.
Gambling Laws In India Historically
The past of Indian gambling: Gambling in India has always been one of the most popular past time activities. Indian Horse Racing is more than 200 years old, so, gambling in Horse Race betting and lotteries were prevalent things to our ancestors. However, during the British rule, gambling became illegal except in some of the states.
The present: Indian gambling stays illegal as of now. However, as there is no particular rule on online gambling in the country, many national and international online gambling websites offer sports betting to Indian gambling enthusiasts. This has made it possible for Indian gamblers to join in on the fun with players from all around the world.
The future: The government of many Indian states is now debating with the government of India to legalize gambling in India completely. We believe that this will be a very smart thing to do.