?? Gambling in India: A Brief History
There’s little doubt that some forms of gambling have always been going on in India throughout the early years of the country’s formation. However, once it became a British colony, it was also subject to the gambling laws of the same country. In 1867, the Public Gambling Act was brought into effect, which dictates that all forms of gambling in India are considered illegal. In fact, the exact wording of this law ensures that not only playing in gaming houses but operating such are highly prohibited. Even people to be found within a gaming house and who may not have physically been playing a game are considered to be guilty of such.
That being said, there aren’t any laws within India that specifically regulate the online gambling scene. A lot of debate has taken place over whether the 1867 law also encompasses the online scene. The Act states that the definition of a gaming house is “any type of house, walled enclosure, room or place within which cards, dice, tables or other instruments of gaming are kept or used for the profit or gain of the person owning” such.
It is because of those words that some people argue that online gambling is covered, due to it being a place where instruments of gaming are in operation. Because of that theory, most locations within India deem online gambling as an illegal activity. To add to that, a second law which may be affecting the legal status of gambling in the country is the 2000 Information Technology Act. It is this law which prohibits anyone from publishing information over the internet which could corrupt people in India. An India online casino could definitely be something that is considered possible of corrupting people, so things don’t really work in the favour of gambling within the country.
To put it simply, operating an online casino within most Indian states is an illegal activity. The only state that doesn’t fall in line with all of this is Sikkim. All other Indian states do not issue licences to operators, meaning that there aren’t any legally available sites providing online casino India. So, how does Sikkim differ?
?? Sikkim State Rules
In total, there are 29 states within India and Sikkim is the only one that has a regulated online casino gambling industry. In 2008, the Sikkim Online Gaming (Regulation) Act passed, which allowed certain casino games to be played online. These included roulette, blackjack, bingo, baccarat, punto banco and casino brag, to name a few.
For anyone wishing to be an online casino operator in Sikkim, a licence must be granted by the state and an associated licensing fee must also be paid. Licences are usually granted for a period of one year but may be renewed after this time period. It was in 2014 that the first online gambling licence was granted by Sikkim, with that licence going to M/s Future Gaming Solutions Private Ltd. So, while Sikkim is the exception in terms of online gambling licences being available to potential operators, as things stand for the time being, there aren’t any online casinos within the state. Yet, how do gamblers from other Indian states go about accessing online gambling sites? And do any India online casino sites allow for gambling in Indian rupee?
?? International Online Casino Sites
It’s often the case that if online gambling is prohibited in a specific country, that residents of that location will take to the internet to find an offshore site to join. The same is true within India, although this is still considered to be an illegal activity. Yet, there haven’t been any reports of players at India online casinos being prosecuted for accessing foreign-based platforms.
As it happens, there are various online casinos that accept gamers from India and even allow them to make deposits in the local currency, the Indian rupee. Naturally, these sites will stand out to those people who have a vested interest in playing casino games, as they’re not so readily available from within India.
Should you be a citizen of India who is looking to join an online casino, it’s important to locate one that holds a licence, even if it is an offshore one. Unlicensed casinos aren’t something that you should really touch, as they don’t have to adhere to any sort of rules that will keep your money safe and your gameplay fair. Of course, some of them do provide much more of a focus on the Indian market than others. However, it’s important that if you do decide to sign up to an offshore platform, that it works in your favour as far as payment methods and the like are concerned.
?? What Payment Methods Can Players from India Use at Online Casinos?
Even with the possibility of accessing foreign-based India online casino sites, one of the larger problems comes from being able to deposit to and withdraw from those platforms. It’s all fine and well being able to sign up to them, but if you don’t have the possibility of using your preferred payment method at such, there’s little point. You’ll just be an observer of the online casino’s activities, rather than a participant.
Deposits to foreign sites can be extremely difficult in some circumstances, because banks will automatically block transfers from options like credit and debit cards or bank transfers. That being said, there are certain ways around these blocks, with the main route to take being e-wallets from Skrill or Neteller. Of course, issues may arise from funding those e-wallets in the first place before the money is sent on to your chosen online casino India.
Sometimes, players may be able to get a deposit through via their Visa or Mastercard, although the likelihood is that such a transaction will fail more often than not. That’s why the e-wallets are usually a first route to take for Indian players, because these electronic wallets also tend to support the Indian rupee currency as well. Using such also makes withdrawals from India online casino platforms easier, too.
One other payment method that has little to do with the Indian government is cryptocurrencies. Some online casino sites will accept transactions via Bitcoin or Dash or Ethereum or any other available cryptocurrency. This is perhaps the easiest and swiftest way to both deposit and withdraw when it comes to online casino India sites. And while this isn’t a transaction in Indian rupee, you can still purchase cryptocurrencies from an exchange if you’re a resident of the country. This allows you to then use the funds at those online casinos that support the cryptocurrency.
Not all online casino India platforms will support cryptocurrencies though, so in this respect, e-wallets are the best option to go for. If an online casino is targeting the Indian market, then it should offer one of the payment methods mentioned here to make depositing and withdrawing easy for you.
?? Where Can I Play Online Casino Games from Within India?
As noted, there are several online casinos that provide their services to residents of India, and these are all offshore sites, of course. Even though this is the case, they are some of the world’s most rated and respected online casino sites. Really, the only requirement of these sites to be able to provide gambling opportunities to residents of India (????) is that they also allow players to deposit and play in Indian rupees. Fortunately, the collection of India online casino sites we will move on to recommend all do this.
So, where exactly are the best locations for residents of India to engage in online casino gambling? Well, take a look at the sites that we believe to be the greatest options. These all cater to gamers from India and do so with the best of intentions. They’re trustworthy, reliable and fully licensed to ensure that you’re playing in a safe and secure environment.
LeoVegas
This online casino India has been providing content to the gambling community since 2011. Owned by LeoVegas Gaming Ltd. it offers up a huge variety of payment methods for players to deposit and withdraw through, including both Neteller and Skrill, as well as Trustly and PayPal. Not only that, but the casino’s game lobby is filled with products from a variety of providers. This means that you’ll be able to play slots, table games and more from companies like Play’n Go, Microgaming, Netent, Realistic Games and many more.
Rizk Casino
This online casino is one that comes from the collection that are operated by the Mt SecureTrade Limited brand. It holds gambling licences from a variety of locations, including Malta and the United Kingdom. Indian rupee deposits are possible amongst a small collection of other currencies, making it stand out as being a great location for Indian gamblers to become players at. The site provides its games in both instant play and mobile variations and it has been in operation since 2016. Take the risk, go ahead and become a member of this India online casino.
Royal Panda
With games coming from at least 10 different developers, Royal Panda has quite the welcoming fa?ade for you to experience. Dig a little deeper and you’ll see that the site supports over 30 different payment methods, has a great customer support team and allows you to withdraw up to $1,500,000 per month from your India online casino account. Using an e-wallet for withdrawals at Royal Panda will allow you to receive your funds within a one-hour time-frame, and again, the platform is mobile friendly as well.
?? How We Locate the Best Indian Online Casinos
When seeking out the online casino India sites that we recommend, there are several processes that our review team go through. This allows us to construct the collection mentioned above. So, what is this process and what is it that these casinos have that make them stand out amongst all the others?
First of all, we always look for the platforms that hold at least one gambling licence. This is the first and foremost feature that anyone looking for a new online casino India should seek out. That’s why the casinos mentioned in our list of the best are all fully licensed and regulated. Our review team has sought these platforms out specifically. So, just to be clear, we won’t ever recommend an online casino India that isn’t regulated in one way or another.
Following on from this, we ensure that players have the ability to make deposits in Indian rupee at the casino. Yes, it’s true that currency conversions can take place if they don’t, but really, it’s not the same as playing in your own local currency. That’s why the casinos on our list all come with the possibility of depositing, playing and withdrawing in Indian rupee.
Speaking of deposits and gameplay, we also made sure to find the casinos that allow you to make use of a valid payment method. This means that you’ll always find at least one or two payment methods that cater to the Indian market. Whether that be through Skrill, Neteller, cryptocurrency or any other form of accepted method, you won’t have any issues with these casinos.
Another feature that we like to ensure these online casino India sites have is a helpful and supportive customer service team. This means not only that there’s a team available to contact through various methods, but that they also have the knowledge and ability to provide friendly support. We also like to ensure that the service is available on 24/7 basis, so that regardless of if you run into a problem at midday or midnight, you can get the necessary assistance from the casino.
Last but not least, it’s relevant for everything to operate in a smooth way. This means that deposits are simple, withdrawals don’t take too long to fully process through, the games all provide a fair experience, the mobile version of the casino site is nicely operational and that you’re able to easily navigate around the platform. Our review team has gone through the process of locating the best online casino India sites by using these pointers. That’s how we have managed to put together the aforementioned collection of the greatest locations for playing online casino games from within India.
?? Mobile Casino Gaming in India
The case today is that casino players needn’t be stuck at home in front of a computer to be able to access their favourite games. This is because the popularity of mobile gaming has grown considerably in the past few years, and it remains as a favoured method of gaming for many people. This is also true within India, where players are utilising their smartphones and tablets to access online casinos instead of their desktops.
It’s possible to do this through most iOS and Android devices, as well as some Windows and Blackberry handsets. Generally speaking, all software developers now create their games with the benefit of being able to play them on such devices, too. The casinos that we recommend also offer mobile versions of their sites, so it just requires you to navigate to the platform via your device’s web browser to engage in this.
Alternatively, some online casino India sites will allow you to download a free app to your device. This will give you the chance to play the games from your handset’s home screen, just by logging into the casino with your standard username and password. Regardless of how you choose to participate in mobile gambling, you should have just as easy a time navigating around and be able to access a wide range of games through such.
One note to make on the mobile gaming lobby is that the selection of games found within can often be reduced in comparison to the desktop version. This is because some of the older games are not modified and optimised to cater to mobile devices. However, if you visit one of our recommended India online casino platforms, then you’ll still get to enjoy a great range of mobile casino games. All of them cater wonderfully to mobile gamers.
?? Online Casinos in India Conclusion
So, as you can see, playing online casino games from within India is not a difficult process. It may be deemed as illegal in most states, but this relates primarily and almost solely to those operators who choose to set up online casinos from within the country. Accessing international gambling sites is still readily available to residents of India, and this is possible through a desktop computer or a mobile device.
We would suggest checking out the casinos that we have recommended, as these have gone through full reviews by our team and can provide you with a truly exhilarating time. Deposits and gameplay are available at them in the Indian rupee currency, while a selection of supported payment methods will allow you to deposit and withdraw easily. Not only that, but the recommended online casino India sites all come with valid licences, meaning that you’ll have a fair and safe gaming experience.
Online casino gambling in India needn’t be a difficult pastime to engage in, and with these recommended sites, it isn’t. So, why not browse through them and find the one that appeals to you on the greatest scale. You may just find that it becomes your favourite India online casino.
