Betting has always been seen as a taboo in Indian society for ages. A significant number of Indian population frowns their eyes and advice to stay clear of it when they hear the word ‘Betting’. Irrespective of anyone’s perspective, our concern is to put a light on the legality of betting in India. The Public Gaming Act of 1867 prohibits the citizens of India from betting their money on any form of sports other than lottery, horse racing, and rummy.
However, the law was built during the British colonial era, and there is obviously no mention of online betting systems. In this digital world, where everything from a pin to a plane is online, betting companies outside India see it as an advantage and entice Indian masses to place online bets on all forms of sports.
International online bookmakers use various websites such as Indiabet.com, Bet365, Betway, etc., and let the public place their bets on several sports events. The bets are not just limited to the outcome of the match, but one can possibly bet on every aspect of the match. For instance, in a cricket game, the bets can be made from the toss to runs scored in an over to the number of sixes scored by a specific player or in the overall match.
As the companies who are running these betting systems are placed outside India, and their own respective countries consider betting as legal, so no official action could be taken against them or the people betting online. Though if a bookmaker is based in India itself, then legal action can be taken against the bookmaker and the bettor. Check out some of the well known Indian Sports Betting Sites.
In India, The Public Gaming Act has never been amended on restrictions for betting online. The law has been left open to the individual states for deciding whether online betting should be legal in their territory or not. Maharashtra is the only Indian state that has completely prohibited online betting and gambling. Whereas, the states of Goa and Sikkim, have officially legalized the online betting system. You’ll be glad to know that the famous casino Leo vegas is now in India.
Other than these states, all other parts of India do not specify any particular law for the legality or illegality of online betting, which makes it a considerable legal grey area. So a substantial population of India enjoys placing bets on these betting sites without doing anything illegal. However, if specific laws for online betting gets made considering the problems that may occur, a good economy can be raised through the betting sector.
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