India is a large country in southern Asia. It borders Bangladesh to the east, Nepal to the north-east, China to the north, Pakistan to the north-west, the Arabian Sea to the south-west and the Bay of Bengal to the south-east.
Overview
The structure of online gambling regulation really just isn't there on any level, but it would seem like most of the rights to regulating the industry would belong to the states. We say this because most forms of gambling are banned on a federal government level, but states like Goa and Sikkim have regulated casino gaming within their borders with no challenge from the federal level. At the current time, there are no regulations for online gambling on the state (or federal) level, but it's also not explicitly illegal either.
Some types of land-based gambling...
... are available on a country-wide level as well like lotteries and bets on horse racing. These seem very arbitrary, but they do show that India could become a future hotbed for online gambling if the right things happen.
As for all other forms of gambling, interested players can choose from several different states within the country where they can enjoy their favourite entertainment.
For a full range of online sports betting, casino and poker gambling, as well as bingo games...
... the Sikkim local government has issued a full license to the Future Gaming Solutions PvT Ltd. It was the first move of this kind, and one that was expected to prompt more States in India to follow in their footsteps.
What is more, the State of Sikkim additionally issued a five year license for interactive online gambling services on its territory for PlayWin Lotto. While lotteries were being added to the range of online gameplay available in this jurisdiction, others were moving differently.
The State of Maharashtra...
... made most interactive gambling illegal, yet left room for the federal-level authorized lotteries.
The Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Bill presented back in 2015 has since undergone a number of amendments. Ultimately, once it was signed by the respective Nagaland Governor in April, 2016, it brought all its provisions to immediate effect.
According to the language of this law...
... residents of Nagaland are legally authorized to participate in interactive games of skill, such as poker.
As long as the outcome of the particular game is better determined by skill and know-how, and less dependent on chance and luck, Nagaland players are free to enjoy such services. Just in March 2017, Sachar Gaming entered this market as a regulated form of interactive multi-game platform, offering interested individuals a range of poker, daily fantasy and rummy gameplay action.
At the same time, other States opted for the complete contrary approach; Telengana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu...
... have prohibited all forms of interactive gambling regardless of skill or chance influencing their outcome.
This came soon after the introduction of Sachar Gaming, showing more vividly the discrepancy between regulatory policies across different states in India. The government of Goa has been dealing with the land-based offshore and onshore gambling establishments at that time – Goa finally managed to relocate the former.
Generally speaking, a set of tax policy amendments, as well as official licensing applications...
... were introduced, bringing the industry to a more regulated status.
Most recently, there have been some attempts at the federal level of legislation.
On the one hand, Government Minister Prasad expressed...
... the will of the Law Commission of India, asking legislators to move forward with a complete ban on gambling.
On the contrary, complete countrywide legalization of interactive sportsbetting...
... has been put forward by Congressman Tharoor. This proposition also includes the formation of a specialized Online Sports Gaming Commission, and would ultimately manage to contribute to the issue of fixed matches.
Licensing
Horse racing and lotteries are permitted with a license, and this shows that a licensing process of some type already exists in the country. This shows some hope that this process could be expanded to online gambling eventually, especially since they've already shown a willingness to expand it to cover casino games in some states.
In recent years...
... the legislation in the country has definitely seen some proof of this, especially in separate States such as Goa, Sikkim and more. While India is a long way from benefiting from legal online gambling on the federal level, taxes collected locally are solid proof and boost towards complete legalization.
Player Protections
The federal government does have the authority to block websites at the ISP level, but their efforts to do so haven't really worked out so well because it's been a limited number of sites. They seem to have given up that angle since there's no clear law against online gambling in India, but some sites are still blocked.
With some states legalizing these activities partly or fully, the need for proper player protection is rather evident. Most recently, the respective authorities have created specific regulatory bodies to handle the matter, while others fully ban the industry and thus leave players acting at their own risk.
Hence, if you do decide to play from India...
... make sure that you check the local laws and play with a well-established site with a reputation for paying out when they are supposed to.
Further Reading
Nearby Restrictions
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
China
Sri Lanka
Similar Restrictions
Andorra
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