Gambling was first banned in India during the colonial period under the Gambling Act of 1867. Under this law, the offering of gambling services throughout India, as well as the visit and use of public gambling establishments, became illegal and were prosecuted by the government at this time.
However, it is worth considering that Indian betting law does not mention online betting as it was done many years before the invention of the Internet. So, the Internet comes along and people start to wonder: Does this mean online betting is legal because it’s not expressly prohibited by the 1867 law? Short answer: yes. If the government of India wanted to completely ban online betting, they could have amended the law to ban online betting, but they didn’t.
In this regard, betting in India is very popular, and the inhabitants of the country are actively betting on various sporting events. Among the sports favored by Hindus, cricket is consistently the most popular. So, many are already looking forward to the confrontation between the RCB vs RR teams, which will fight in the current Indian Professional Cricket Premier League IPL 2022. In addition, the IPL schedule this season is full of other equally interesting competitions, which will begin as early as March 26 of this year. Ten teams from ten Indian cities will fight for the right of superiority. The final event and the announcement of the winner are scheduled for May 29, 2022.
Continuation of the history of betting in India
In 1950, the constitution of India was adopted. The constitution says that states are allowed to formulate their gambling laws. Thus, instead of imposing a federal law to ban or legalize online betting, the central government has left it up to the individual states to decide whether to legalize or ban online betting in their territory.
This means that each state in India has its online betting laws. Some of them are more stringent while others have less stringent laws.
For example, in the state of Maharashtra, games of skill are allowed, but games of chance are prohibited. The same is true for Karnataka and many other states. In the state of Sikkim, the local government is actively trying to legalize and regulate online betting. They have begun accepting license applications from betting operators who want to offer games in the state. Most other states in India do not have specific laws regarding online betting, making them a gray area.
When will online sports betting be legalized in India?
No one knows exactly when online betting will be fully legal in India. This may happen next year. Or it may never happen at all.
Don’t be alarmed: while the current betting laws are vague and unclear, it is still possible to bet online both legally and safely in India.
