Future of Online Poker Games in India

Posted by 666 pokers on October 29th, 2019

Gambling in India is no secret: they thrive due to the collective love of casino enthusiasts and inadvertently under ambiguous laws of the country. A MECN (Media Entertainment Consulting Network) report shows that the country is the largest and fastest-growing gambling market in the world.

Amid growing adult population, domination of cyber culture, increasing disposable income and lack of a specific legal framework, the real-money gaming industry in India is valued at 360 million US dollars with a growth rate of 20% per year. This cost is expected to increase by $ 1 billion by 2021.

Rural areas are currently experiencing rapid Internet growth. Usage statistics are estimated at 566 million which is 97% on mobile devices. In fact, in mid-2016, the country became the 6th world market with 2.9% of global mobile game installations.

Thus, India is now the hotbed of once apathetic investors and reluctant online casino operators. Although the rules are set, people's appetite for gambling has not diminished. The main impetus for this growth trajectory has been the loophole in the laws that make online gambling in India a ridiculous paradox. Let's talk about the legal nuances.

The Law on Public Games of 1867, which occupies a central place in all this matter, prohibits working, being responsible, or visiting public gambling establishments (the so-called casinos) illegally. Accordingly any form of gambling in the country is illegal. Violating this law, the person responsible for the casino is required to pay a fine of 200 Indian rupees or serve a sentence of imprisonment for up to 3 months. On the other hand, a person visiting a place is required to pay 100 Indian rupees or serve a sentence of up to 1 month in prison.

However, according to entry No. 34 of Schedule II of the 7th Annex of the Constitution of India, gambling in India is a matter of the state. Laws may be formulated within the framework of the laws and jurisdictions of individual states. As shown in the section above, the central government controls some issues. However, it never gives out licenses to casino operators in the country.

State governments, on the other hand, have the power to decide what to allow and what to ban in their states. In addition, according to Record No. 62, states also have the right to tax betting and gambling events. Currently, 13 states of India declared the lottery legal. Terrestrial casinos are legal only in two states - Goa and Sikkim, and in one union territory - Daman. 21 legal gambling establishments are available in 11 cities in India.

However, when it comes to playing poker game online through servers located offshore, the laws are ambiguous and do not work. So, if you ask, “is it legal to gamble online in India”, the answer is yes and no. Moreover, the process of obtaining a license following the state proposal of permits for gambling is not at all a big task. These are truly new business opportunities that has a very bright and optimistic future.