India Casinos
India Online Casinos
Online gambling in India is, perhaps, not as clear cut as it is in other countries. Each Indian state has the authority to make its own laws, and that complicates matters. For instance, there isn’t a state-wide set of laws, leaving Indian players often unsure of whether they can bet or not.
Those betting options that are legalised tend to be so only on a state level. Fortunately, there is no shortage of top offshore casinos catering to players across the subcontinent. You need to know where the grey zones lie, where you can bet, and what types of casinos you should look to join. Fortunately, we’re here to help, and we’ll introduce you to a few of the best real money online casinos for Indian players below.
Best Real Money Online Casinos for India Players
Is It Legal to Gamble Online in India?
When establishing whether online casino gambling is legal in India, one must first consider where one lives. After all, whether you can play at legal gambling sites in India, and indeed, which ones, depends entirely on your place of residence.
Generally, if your state has decided to regulate and license betting sites, then those sites will be legit Indian online casinos for you. However, they may not be open and accepting players in another Indian region or state. For players with limited options, they can always opt to visit offshore casinos. These are sites not licensed in India but that cater to Indians, nonetheless. These are also illegal in some states, but in most, they fall into grey zones.
Naturally, this all sounds confusing – that’s because it is. Therefore, it may be easier for us to break down India’s gambling laws by looking at each type of gambling activity and straightening things out this way. Let’s do that next:
Online Casino
Online casinos can be played legally (alongside land-based casino gambling) in Daman, Goa, Nagaland, and Sikkim. If you are based in another Indian state, you may still be able to bet online at offshore casino sites. These are licensed abroad and often fall under grey zones, so while they technically aren’t legal, they are still legit Indian online casinos. Maharashtra forbids all casino gambling and may actively punish players.
Online Poker
Games of skill are legal in most Indian states, especially in those that have legalised online casino games. Poker is very much an Indian game of skill in most players’ eyes, and the authorities tend to agree. It is worth noting that Arunachal Pradesh and Telangana haven’t formally legalised games of skill, so poker is illegal in these states. However, there may be exceptions if you wish to play rummy in India.
Online Sports Betting
Horse racing is deemed legal in India. Most Indian states consider horse racing betting to be skill-based, so few have an issue with you slapping down a few rupees backing the nags. Betting on other sports can vary from state to state, so this is something you’re going to need to look at more closely, depending on what you want to bet on.
Online Lottery
Lotteries are considered legal across India. While purchasing tickets for lotteries online is tough, and each state tends to have its own lottery games exclusively available for its residents, the availability of a broad array of lottery games (even international ones) is increasing. Legal lottery games can be played in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Kerala, Madya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim, and West Bengal.
Online Bingo
The legal status of online bingo games in India is, again, very much dependent on each state. If a state recognises bingo as a lottery game, then it will typically be deemed legal. However, if they determine that it’s a game of chance and prohibit those (save for lotteries), then it will be banned. No states currently recognise bingo as a game of skill, though.
History of Gambling in India
As a country with thousands of years of history behind it, you expect a rich gambling history in India. Gambling in India goes back to 7300 BC if you believe some of the tales in the Ramayana. Of course, historically, we’re only interested in historical facts, so here is what we know about the history of gambling in the subcontinent…
- 300 BC: Evidence suggests that Indians gambled with nuts from the Vibhitaka tree. The game “passa” will originate from astragali dice in time.
- 200 BC: Indians grow fond of gambling on animal fights. Early Hindi scripts warn against gambling and describe the perils of it.
- 1400s: Legal gambling houses spring up in India and are heavily regulated to ensure that everyone pays their share of duty to the king. In short, Indians are subject to one of the first established gambling taxes.
- 1700s: Having brought cricket to India, the British also introduce horse racing to the masses. Both are popular with bettors.
- 1867: As gambling in the subcontinent gets out of control, the British introduce the Public Gambling Act of 1867. It makes gambling houses illegal, although some games, such as rummy, are exempt. This sees the beginning of the tricky to understand Indian gambling laws, with parts of the 1867 Act still active today.
- 1900s: Cricket betting continues, despite the Gambling Act. Indian gains independence in 1947 but does not alter the gambling laws set by the British. Indians deem gambling as a sin, evil and addictive. The 29 Indian states and seven territories are given the power to decide gambling laws for themselves.
- 1955: The Prize Competition Act is passed by parliament and seeks to restrict what can be won (in terms of prizes) on competitions. Prizes worth more than a thousand rupees are banned.
- 2000s: With the advent of internet gambling, India passes an Information Technology Act. This regulates many online activities in the subcontinent but does not mention gambling or betting. A handful of Indian states decide to license and regulate online casinos and sportsbooks, but others do not follow suit. This, coupled with the grey zones for offshore casinos, leads to the confusing situation India’s gambling laws find themselves in today.
- 2021: India attempts to ban Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The bill is currently delayed, but if passed, it would spell an end to crypto casinos in the country, all of which are located offshore.
Future Online Gambling Trends in India
India is not likely to pass a national gambling law legalising betting at any time in the immediate future. Therefore, things are likely to remain as they are, with each state deciding its own stance on playing online slots for real money in India. Many Indians will likely continue to use offshore casinos to bet, as this goes unpunished in most states. However, if the Indian government passes a bill that effectively outlaws cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, many of the casinos that cater to Indian players that provide a wealth of anonymity (as crypto betting sites do) will be lost.
Is It Safe to Gamble at An Indian Online Casino?
Betting at any Indian casino that is licensed in the state you reside in is perfectly safe. These betting sites adhere to all the rules and regulations required of such domains and are heavily regulated by the states in question. However, there are other safe online casinos in India for you to join.
How to Choose the Best Online Casino?
As touched on, our team regularly searches for the most trusted online casinos for India players to join. They examine hundreds of sites and put them through their paces to ensure they are certified and safe before recommending them.
Only once our team is fully satisfied with the service that an Indian casino is offering will they decide to write up a review, grade the site and recommend it to you. Our team has spent a great deal of time thoroughly exploring every service offered by casinos. You can head straight to our online gambling reviews of casinos in India, or you can opt to read on to learn a little more about what our team looks for in trusted and certified Indian casinos.
Casino Bonuses
Everybody wants a top Indian casino bonus, right? After all, being able to pocket a wealth of casino bonuses when you make your first deposit will see you able to play games for a longer period, potentially with greater stakes and increase your chances of landing wins. Other bonuses regularly found at such sites include free spins, no deposit bonuses, monthly specials, tournaments, and loyalty rewards.
Our team is thorough in reading the terms and conditions attached to these bonuses, and they will grade a casino down if they are playing fast and loose with those conditions. Head over to our casino reviews to check the latest Indian casino bonuses out there today.
Games and Software
Bonuses are a great thing to have, but they are essentially useless if you don’t have a top array of games to bet on. We expect our recommended Indian casinos to feature games from ten or more providers. Moreover, those developers should account for a library of several hundred, if not a couple of thousand games. We want to see top slots, video poker, table games, live dealer titles, and Indian favourites such as Rummy, Andar Bahar, Teen Patti and more.
The Reputation of the Casino
You don’t have to take our word that an Indian casino is safe, although we do advise you to. You are free to check out what others have to say about an Indian betting site. After all, when our team formulates its review, it scouts around and sees what others think. In short, we’ve already asked about and got the consensus when we give our casinos their reviews.
Casino Customer Support
Most Indian casinos should offer straightforward, easy to use services. However, there may be times when you need support and assistance. For the most part, you should be able to rely on English and Hindi support, either by live chat, e-mail, or both. On top of that, an FAQ guide is a must, while telephone support (toll-free if you’re based in India) is an advantage, too.
Payment Methods
We’ll take a proper look at Indian casino payment methods shortly. However, let us just say that we want to see casinos that accept Indian rupees, that have low to no fees associated with transactions, and we expect to see a good range of payment methods that are accepting of players in India, not the usual array of e-wallets and prepaid vouchers that may not necessarily permit INR transactions. Our team checks for this before they review casinos for players in India.
Online Casino Games Available for India Players
Online casinos that accept India-based players will typically carry an exciting selection of titles. Our team regularly checks to ensure that the following criteria have been adhered to when looking for the best online casino games in India…
- The best Indian casinos will feature games from over a dozen developers.
- Those games will span all common genres, including slots, table games, and live dealer games.
- State-licensing casinos may lack games of chance and or some sports betting options.
- Regulated and licensed casinos should offer RNG-certified games with fair RTP rates.
- Games should be playable in English or Hindi, and INR bets should be expected.
- A regular supply of new online casino games should appear at Indian casinos.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the more commonly found games at Indian casinos next, starting with slots.
Online Slots
Online slots are playable in India, assuming you’re either in a state that permits them or opt to play in an offshore casino. Slot machines in India that attract the biggest crowd tend to be those with Asian themes, the MegaWays payline structure or progressive jackpot cash prizes.
Online Blackjack
Blackjack is one of several card games you can play. Playing blackjack online for real money in India can be done via tournaments, live dealer casino games, jackpot games, or simplistic RNG (random number generator) tables.
Online Roulette
If RNG roulette games don’t tick your boxes, you can always opt to play live dealer roulette. These make up some of the most popular titles at the best online roulette gambling sites in India. Each has its own twist on the basic gambling rules, and these may alter the value of the prizes you can win.
Live Dealer Games
When you choose to play realistic live dealer games in India, you have more than just roulette to play. Live casino games online in India can also include baccarat and dice games, but also Indian favourites such as Andar Bahar and Teen Patti.
Other Online Casino Games
On top of the games that we’ve already mentioned, you can also hope to see dice games like Sic Bo and Craps, Asian favourites like Dragon Tiger, and other Indian titles like Gin Rummy, Brag, and a few others.
Most Popular Casino Software in India
While most offshore and international sites will either be Microgaming casinos for Indians to join or the best NetEnt casinos that India has to offer, local sites can feature a mix of software from varying providers. Ideally, we would always recommend joining an Indian casino that features games from a myriad of providers. Amongst the software developers, you can regularly see catering to players in India are…
- Microgaming
- Evolution Gaming
- Asia Gaming
- PlayStar
- iSoftBet
- Play’n Go
- Quickspin
- Yggdrasil Gaming
- Super Spade
- NetEnt
- BetSoft Gaming
Banking Information for India Players
You aren’t likely to find depositing at an India online casino with PayPal very straightforward. Some e-wallets like PayPal just don’t allow their services to be used at sites that aren’t nationally licensed. However, there are still plenty of payment methods at your disposal.
These include:
- VISA
- MasterCard
- Neteller
- PayTM
- UPI
- IMPS
- RuPay
- NetBanking
- Google Pay
- Apple Pay
- Bank/Wire Transfer
- Cryptocurrencies
Whether you prefer to depositing using at an online casino in India using VISA Debit, e-wallets, or bank transfers, you shouldn’t expect to be charged for doing so. Here are a few other things you should note:
- Withdrawals may be capped, and wire transfers may have fees applied.
- Indian-specific payment providers include IMPS and UPI.
- All the payment providers listed above can process transactions in Indian rupees.
- Using some payment methods may see you become ineligible for deposit-based bonuses.
Cryptocurrencies
There have been moves by the Indian government to try and make cryptocurrencies illegal. For now, cryptocurrencies can be used to deposit, wager, and withdraw at Indian online casinos. However, we wouldn’t imagine that this will remain the case for long if the Indian government wants to continue pursuing their bill, that is.
Of course, there are perks to depositing with cryptos, and they include:
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Faster transaction times than with Indian rupees
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Better anonymity, which is ideal for players in some Indian states
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Many casinos now have BTC bonuses or offers for players who prefer other cryptos
Mobile Gaming in India
Mobile casino gaming is possible in India without cumbersome apps. Online gambling apps in India aren’t really a thing unless you play at a state-licensed casino. For the most part, you don’t need to do anything more than visit your casino of choice using your iOS or Android devices’ web browser. Sign in, make a deposit, and you should be able to navigate the site and play games with ease, again without troublesome apps that need frequently updating.
India Online Casino Bonuses & Promo Codes
Indian casinos certainly have bonuses available for you to snap. Most of these can be claimed in Indian rupees, so you shouldn’t need to worry about depositing in US dollars or another currency. Of course, cryptocurrency deposits will want to find bonuses in BTC or other digital currencies. After finding your ideal casino, always check the terms and conditions of a bonus. You want to see low wagering requirements (ideally under 40x); you’ll also want a decent no max win caps, good game eligibility rules, and low deposit limits if they are to constitute the best bonus online casino deals in India.
Be warned that some Indian online casino bonuses have codes that need to be entered to claim them. You can do this via the cashier page or with customer support. If you don’t find the codes in our reviews, they may arrive via an e-mail from the casino (such as a newsletter) or can be found on the promotions page at the casino in question.
To give you a helping hand, we’ve decided to take a closer look at each of the most reoccurring bonuses you can find at Indian casinos today. They include:
No Deposit Bonuses
A typical no deposit casino bonus in India will consist of free spins. However, it is not impossible that your casino chooses to offer you a small sum of cash to spend. Free spins are usually reserved for use on selected games, while cash bonuses at new Indian no deposit casino bonuses tend to be more generous and flexible in terms of what they can be used on.
Deposit Match
Claiming a match deposit bonus will most likely occur when you first sign up at a casino. A first deposit bonus at a casino in India will usually consist of a 100% match that can double your first deposit. It is not uncommon to claim bonuses worth up to ten thousand rupees with these offers. They may extend to subsequent deposits, too. Just be sure to only sign up at Indian online casinos with low deposit terms and fair wagering requirements.
Free Spins
As mentioned, a typical online casino free sign-up bonus, namely a no deposit required offer in India, will provide free spins. However, it is also possible to nab free spins via loyalty bonuses and VIP deals, monthly specials, and a handful of other deals.
Reload Bonuses
If you liked what you saw with the conventional welcome bonus at your Indian casino, then reload bonuses may be for you. These work in virtually the same way as typical welcome offers, although they may be one-off deals, provided every day, week, or month, or come as loyalty rewards. Check the promotions page at your Indian casino to see what the score is with these. They will typically be worth smaller sums than the original welcome bonus was.
New Online Casinos in India
You don’t have to rely solely on our tried and tested Indian online casinos, either. Our team is always on the hunt for new India-based online casinos to join. Any we come across that also pass our strict tests will receive a review and be recommended to you. Don’t hesitate to check back regularly to find the latest and hottest online casino in India.
FAQs
Before heading off to read our Indian casino reviews and betting at casino sites in India, don’t hesitate to check this brief FAQ guide.
