In the world of online casino industry, it would seem that India was the last piece in the global puzzle. It’s only recently that online casinos in India have hit the boom phase of their growth. Why did this take so long and what can players expect from what will seem like a tsunami of online gambling options?
In this review of India’s gambling industry, we discuss the legal rights of players, where these online casinos came from, and what players can expect of their services, as for the first time, a population of 1.3 billion can now easily access casino games and sports betting platforms.
Casinos in India
The swing of interest by casino operators only hit India in 2018, prior, there were murmurings of sites appearing but nothing to the degree and scale we see now. India was always going to be targeted as an investment opportunity by casinos, with the second largest population on the planet, there are many rupees for an online casino to make, and in return can reward many players that join their Indian casinos.
With a country of such a size, you need the groundwork done right first. To no surprise, before India was targeted, countries like South Africa were the first to be put through the mill to see how successful India could potentially be.
The laws of gambling between both countries are similar as well as surrounding territories like Nigeria and Kenya. Africa was a successful business step with African laws being bypassed as India laws are now, through servicing players from offshore platforms that are licensed by European regulatory bodies.
Africa is now a stable market for online gambling operators and from 2018, bit by bit India players have been able to share the same experiences as those playing from Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Namibia, Tanzania, and Mozambique.
Accepting rupees and players from India
The casino sites supporting these countries are mainly based in Europe because that’s where 95% of the regulators are based, like the MGA (Malta Gaming Authority) and the UKGC (UK Gambling Commission). With Indian online casino operators, such as Unibet, they are able to accept rupees as with any other form of online service. Not being based in Indian directly makes no difference in safety and quality.
The reason for their overseas approach is because of the Indian law, and all casinos online bypass this given that no remote Indian business is legally allowed to make their own alternative gambling service. This is so that the government’s own state-run site is not met with competition.
They failed to see the irony that their own laws allowed Indian players to play outside of India meaning the government missed out on billions that could have been recouped in tax.
Casino sites
There are scores of online casinos in India that players are able to confidently pick from. The services of an online casino now supplies players with generic digital casino games like slot machines, scratch cards, and virtual card and table games like teen patti, roulette, and blackjack. They also present live casino venues with live streamed games that allows members to play against each other in tournaments and against the table’s live dealer.
Players can also win rupees from the live sports betting features that are partnered with the casinos in India. Here you will have access to a world of cricket and the IPL.
Online gambling in India
When it comes to gambling and joining an online casino for the first time, there are many things to consider with regards to some of the forced habits that India puts upon its people. For example, the Reserve Bank of India can stop payments between players and the casinos in India simply because they wish to cut out all opportunities for money laundering.
In a widespread movement, regardless of being legal or not, players must handle their rupees in another manner by using alternative banking services online. Banking options like PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill are the three leading e-wallet services online. They help players to bypass the Reserve Bank because they act as a middleman service. You extract money from your regular bank and into your holding e-wallet, to then transfer payments into your casino account. The same is done in reverse should you win and wish to withdraw your rupees.
Legal gambling
The legal structure in India is comparable to place like South Africa and even the United States and Canada. The consistent theme is that no online casino can be made in these countries, and only that which is controlled by government approved services may exist. Note that of these countries, all wins are taxed, so the whole thing is somewhat fraudulently unfair.
For general land-based casinos in India, the state needs to ask for licensing approval and as you will see, land casinos are found within all the tourist hotspots in the country.
With this came the arguments in favour of regulating online casinos in India, but it never came to fruition, instead foreign casino were banned from advertising, yet players were not banned from accessing them.
Nowhere in the Gambling Act of 1867 and the subsequently updated laws since, does it take away the rights of the player to access overseas operators. And this is how the laws in many other countries are. Remote online services banned; offshore casinos welcomed.
Online casino
From land-based casinos in India to offshore platforms online, the winners are the Indian players in all of this. They were last on the list and are now able to join the rest of the world with their exclusive online casino India platforms that enable them to play thousands of games online and win real rupees.
You can pick the best casinos from a number of places like the casino comparison site Casinos-India.in, which hosts the top 10 Indian casinos online and provides casino bonuses to newly registered members should they join any casino from their website list.