Is it true what people are saying about online casino gambling legalization? Does it fully legal to place a bet on any of the web-based casino games? Is there any law that prohibits Indian gamblers to bet on a specific type of games? Let’s get an accurate answer to these questions by studying what the experienced and trusted legal experts have to say about the legalization of online casino in India.
India with more than 1.3 billion population has become the most trafficked market in the world. Therefore, it is not a surprising fact that numbers of people are today creating an account in various online casinos. India has detailed and strict laws regarding online casino and gambling regulations, but the problem is that there is no clear fact about legality or illegality of web-based betting.
The cloudy picture of gambling legal status is making many interested people suppress their desire of placing a bet on roulette, slot machines, and other casino games. To remove this wall of fear and allow Indian citizens to bet confidently without any stress of breaching Indian laws, we have provided some facts presented by The Federal Gambling Law of India.
Public Gambling Act of 1867
Considering the financial losses and dangerous outcomes of gambling, the federal government takes strict legal measures and created an act of Public Gambling Act of 1867. This law has been existing for more than 150 years and still the legal precedent in the country. According to this act, an individual or a company that hosts gambling venue or go there for betting would be considered a victim for violating the law. Involving in any of these public gaming facilities is completely restricted in India.
This act states that a person who breaks this law can be charged with the fine of 200 rupees and imprisonment of up to 3 months. An individual who visit betting venues are punished with the imprisonment for a month and Rs.100. Even though this law has been there for more than 150 years, this law makes no amendments regarding the applicability of online gambling.
There is no mention of the legality of online gambling activity or web-based casinos. Thus, it is safe to say that online casinos are not illegal in India on the federal level. The central government does not give the straight answer with complete assurance, but they leave this decision to several individual states of India.
Goa and Sikkim are two Indian states where online gambling is fully regulated. Online casinos and all gambling activities are prohibited in the Indian state of Maharashtra. On asking the legal experts, we found that there is no record of the cases where any person in India has been prosecuted for involving in any gambling activity.
No company can host gambling facilities in the Indian sub-continent, its territories, or states. But, people can bet on games offered by the online bookmakers operating outside the Indian boundaries.
Prize Competition Act (1955)
Passed in 1955, this law is related to the game where a prize is given to players. According to this act, all competitions where the winning prize goes more than Rs. 1000 a month will be prohibited. But, there is one misconception of this law. Some people relate this act prohibition with online gambling, but in reality, this law is applied to a puzzle-based game where results are defined on the basis of building up, organizing, letters/words/figures permutation or combinations. On the basis of these gaming process, the definition of this act could technically be applied to online slots, but like Public Gambling Act of 1867, there is no real implementation of The Prize Competition Act of 1955 in this regard.
Individual State Laws In India
The central government assigned the responsibility of regulating gambling to the individual states. Each state in India can decide whether or not to prohibit online betting in their own region. As a result of this authorization, Goa and Sikkim are two Indian states that have land-based casinos. Other states do not have brick and mortar casino venues, but they do not outlaw gambling at licensed and regulated casino operators running offshore. Maharashtra is the only state where both land-based and online gambling is not allowed.
Although horse betting is legal in India, it is recommended to consult horse race betting laws in India because each state has different points regarding what is considered fully legal.
Legalization Of Horse Racing In India
Horse racing is one of the most popular sports in India that is drawing the attention of myriads of people. There are many bookmakers that provide legal betting on these racecourses. Many betting parlors exist in different regions of the country to allow enthusiastic gamblers to enjoy their pastime of horse race betting.
In 1996, the Indian Supreme Court said that horse race betting is legal in India. Other sports such as football and cricket were not declared as legal. The main reason for the legalization of horse racing but not other sports is that horse race betting is a game which is based on skills rather than luck or chance. A person who has the skills and knowledge to analyze the result of any horse race event can easily win the bet. In addition, horse breeding is India’s one of the fastest growing and profitable sectors that contribute a lot in improving the country’s economic situation.
Which Online Casino Should I Choose?
To gamble safely and legally, it is important to select the online casino that saves you from loss and other risks. If you are ready to place a bet on the most popular casino games then find the reputable site considering these vital points –
1. Licensing, Regulation, And Certification
First of all, find out the licensing, regulation, and certification of a web-based casino you’re selecting. Casinos licensed & regulated from the UK, Malta, or Curacao, and certified with a seal of approval for fairness and security by independent agencies are perfect to enjoy fully secure and exciting gambling with no risk of any type.
2. Payment Methods
A well-known web-based casino offers different types of payment methods for deposit and withdrawal in rupees for hassle-free transactions. Check out the processing time and charges to ensure you would get the best profit with no delays. Casinos not accepting Indian rupees deposit can put you in the complicated process of cross-currency conversion. So, always pick a casino that accepts payment in Indian currency rupees.
3. Welcome Bonus And Promotions
To boost up the possibility of increased profit and enhanced enjoyment, welcome bonus and other promotions can help you a lot. Thus, before creating an account, check out the welcome bonus offered by the online casino after sign-up. Royal Panda, Betway, Dafabet, LeoVegas, Fun Casino, and Yeti Casino offers generous welcome or sign-up bonus. Besides the welcome bonus, many more regular promotions are offered to keep users engaged including daily deals, VIP program, referral bonus blast, weekly bonus, and more.
4. Security
Online casino with SSL certificate is completely safe to use with no risk of getting your sensitive details accessed by an unauthorized person. So, make sure that a site you’re selecting has an SSL certification and high-grade encryption technologies.
5. Customer Support
Most online bookmakers today offer customer support to assist their users in effectively dealing with the queries or concerns they have. But, you have to find the casino that has constant availability of helpful customer support i.e. 24/7 with quick response time and different modes to reach them including email, phone number, and live chat.
Conclusion
On analyzing the complete gambling situation and increasing craze of citizens in online gambling, it has been found that the Indian government should make strict and clear laws about online gambling. The debate over a topic, ‘whether or not to legalize online gambling in India’ is still on-going and might be it continues in the coming days. This is because all authorities have different viewpoints regarding its legalization and regulation.
It is believed that it is safe and legal to bet on online casinos operated offshore with full legalization in that country. Regulation should be performed in a way that it allows punters to wager safely without dealing with financial burden and no worries of breaching any law. The Indian government will get huge profit through a tax on gambling.
