As a sports punter, one may be a citizen of a pro-gambling country or one that prohibits the hobby. For those who live in the former category of country, sports betting is such an everyday thing that they may need to comprehend the difficulties experienced by their peers in countries where betting is restricted. India is one such country where sports betting is not a welcome activity.
The Legal Standpoint Of Betting In India
Currently, betting is a multi-billion dollar industry in many parts of the world. However, in India, wagering on sports events is, for most intents and purposes, contrary to the law. All forms of gambling are viewed as a social evil, and all the pitfalls of irresponsible gambling – including bankruptcy and addiction – are put forth as perils that the Government of India is keen to shield its citizenry. The law specifically prohibiting betting is an age-old statute drawn up centuries ago, captioned “The Public Gaming Act of 1867”. As per the law, betting is defined as “playing a game for money or property or betting on an uncertain outcome.” That encompasses all sports betting and casino gambling. Interestingly, horse racing betting is very much permitted. Why this form of sports betting is allowed, and not others like cricket, soccer, or tennis betting, is anyone’s guess.
The Online Gambling Regulation Challenge
In most parts of the world, the gambling landscape has shifted sharply from gambling at land-based establishments – physical casinos and sports betting shops – to online gambling. Nobody is no longer required to physically attend a location to play a game or place a sports wager, and this poses a whole new set of challenges for governments trying to keep the hobby in check. Betting online provides the user with a high level of anonymity, and it would take an unfeasible amount of government resources to track people’s activity online. Remember, as per recent censuses, India is the most populous country globally, albeit only surpassing China by a minute margin. A huge section of the population has access to the Internet and cheap mobile devices, so they don’t need to pull clouds out of the air to access a betting website. The Indian government does not allow providers to host a betting website locally, but international providers openly accept Indian punters. Simply put, the online gambling revolution has come on too quickly and too strongly for Indian policymakers, but then again, that’s the singular challenge facing pretty much all Asian governments.
Indian Sports Betting – Future Outlook
Sports betting is illegal in India, but, as we’ve already seen, this has done little to deter Indians bent on satiating their betting thirst. The illegal betting market in one of the largest countries in the world is worth over $100 billion and experiences a 7% growth yearly. A recent study in India found that over 40% of those connected to the World Wide Web are gamblers. Hence, the government has recognized and resigned that shutting down online sports bettors in India is impossible. There’s also the other side of the coin: many governments elsewhere have legalized sports betting and other forms of gambling and therefore collect massive amounts of revenue from it through taxation. To that end, as of 2023, the Government of India has established new rules regarding online gambling through The Ministry of Electronics and IT.
India Sports Betting Legalization
Under the new law, the government is commissioning “self-regulatory bodies” to manage online gambling on behalf of the government. These bodies will “safeguard users against harm” and do their utmost to prevent financial crime and shield the underage from what should purely be an adult pastime. The government, however, makes it clear that it holds ultimate power over said bodies, stipulating that, should the bodies prove ineffective, it may “direct it to undertake measures to rectify the non-compliance.” These measures go as far as the disbandment of the said regulatory bodies. This should come as good news for those Indian punters who would rather give patronage to local betting providers rather than overseas and should see lots of bookmakers setting up within the borders of the country.
