All You Need to Know About Local Indian Betting Sites (2024)

There are so many sites that claim to be Indian local betting sites, but are they genuine? Is online betting even legal? In this blog, we shall cover the legality of online betting in India, and share key factors about shortlisting local Indian betting sites.

Is Online Betting Legal in India?

The answer to this question is what concerns most online bettors in the country. Let's start by giving a brief historical context to this subject.

India attained independence in 1947. It adopted a federal governance structure, and presently has 29 states and 8 union territories.

The subject of betting falls under the jurisdiction of individual states, and every state is authorised to frame and implement its own laws. However, the majority of the country's states have not framed any law to govern online betting.

In the absence of any such law, there is only the Public Gambling Act (passed in 1867) to which one can refer when it comes to the legality of online betting. The act prohibits all land-based betting in India (unless the states have passed a law to the contrary), but mentions nothing about online betting. Neither has the act been amended to represent the current times and to throw light on the validity of online betting.

Since there isn't any definitive law, one cannot assume that online betting is also illegal just because land-based betting is illegal. This ambiguity and vagueness throw the subject of online betting in the grey area of law – neither illegal nor legal.

Therefore, as online betting is not expressly prohibited by any Indian law, you can safely assume that online betting is legal in India.

For the sake of extra caution, we consider only offshore online gambling companies as legal – that is, online companies with head offices situated outside of India.

Which Are the Top Indian Local Betting Sites?

The underlying factor that validates the genuineness of any business – including online betting sites/ bookmakers – is whether it is accredited by the relevant authorities and duly registered according to the laws of the country where it operates.

India does not have any gaming authority to issue a betting licence, nor is there anywhere online betting sites can register and legally set their base in India.

You might wonder then, what about the scores of Indian local betting sites that rate themselves as the top sites in the country? Truth be told, these websites are not licensed by any authority, and therefore cannot be trusted with your money.

How Can You Bet Online in India, Then?

India is a huge market for leading bookmakers across the world. There are several genuine offshore sports betting sites that provide their services in India, and several of them specially focus on catering to the requirements of Indian bettors. You will find our recommendations further below in this blog. Bu for the time being…

Most Popular Sports Betting Options in India

Now that you know that it is safe to bet online in India, let’s take you through some of the most popular sports for online betting in India.

(The below-mentioned sports, apart from cricket, have been arranged in random order and do not represent a ranked list).

Cricket

No surprises here. For a nation that considers cricket a religion, it is rather obvious that the gentleman’s game is also the most popular choice for sports betting. Bookmakers offer betting opportunities for international, as well as domestic cricket tournaments, such as the Indian Premier League in India, and the Big Bash League in Australia.

Horse Racing

The betting popularity of this sport is extremely high, given that in-person horse racing betting is also legal in India. The sport is widely followed in the United Kingdom too, and you can expect to find significant betting opportunities in this sport.

Kabaddi

This game, which originated in India, has garnered huge betting interest after the introduction of the Pro Kabaddi League. Being a close-contact sport, the game is quite exciting and full of ups and downs, providing several betting opportunities to players throughout the 40-minute duration of the game.

Football

Football has a huge fan following in several states of India, and most tier-I cities too. Apart from international tournaments like the FIFA World Cup, the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga are among the most widely-followed international football leagues in India.

India has a few domestic leagues of its own too, such as the Indian Super League, which is steadily gaining prominence. Bookmakers offer Indian bettors the opportunity to bet across all these leagues.

Factors To Consider When Selecting the Best Betting Site in India

Let’s go through the top five factors you should take into consideration while selecting sports betting sites in India:

1. Licences and Reputation

It is important that you only bet with online bookmakers that are duly registered and licensed with a government-backed gaming authority, such as the Malta Gaming Authority, Curaçao eGaming or the UK Gambling Commission.

These licensing bodies carry out due diligence regarding the full operations of the online betting sites before granting them their licence. Owning a licence basically highlights that the site is authorised to conduct betting operations by at least one country – which is enough to certify the site’s genuineness.

These licences are granted for a limited time period, and the sites need to consistently maintain high standards of ethics and transparency with their customers, as well as refrain from indulging in any suspicious business practices to ensure that their licence remains valid.

In addition to licences, you should also check customer reviews of the bookmaker on online customer forums and social media platforms to get a practical perspective of the quality of user experiences on those online betting sites.

2. Security

Security should be on the top of your mind when selecting an online betting site, as they deal with real money and handle sensitive data. Therefore, they must adhere to stringent security protocols.

Some basic security protocols that websites must follow are to have an advanced SSL-certification (‘HTTPS’) and use a reputed payments platform for processing deposits and withdrawals. You can also look for additional security factors like an eCOGRA certification.

3. Acceptability of Indian Payment Methods and INR

India-suited payment methods like UPI, Paytm, Google Pay, and PhonePe, are widely used by Indians, and several leading online betting sites have also started to provide these methods as payment options.

The option to use these methods will save you the time and hassle to create your account with some other payment system and learn how it works. Moreover, these Indian methods are quick and efficient, and their availability ensures that you can process transactions fast and seamlessly. So, as far as possible, choose to play with betting sites that accept Indian payment methods.

Further, also ensure you use INR betting sites whenever possible. These bookmakers accept INR currency among their list of accepted currencies, and you can avoid paying extra charges for currency conversion.

4. Variety of Games

Needless to say, the collection of games that a bookmaker has to offer plays a vital role in deciding whether to bet with them or not.

Sports lovers might wonder why they should bother looking for a bigger collection if they only bet on 2-3 sports. The question is valid. But, access to a variety of sports games will broaden your horizon in terms of following new sports, and who knows, you might just like the odds of that game and end up earning quick money!

You should also look for how extensively the betting site covers the sport. Take cricket as an example. Given the sport’s vast popularity, your betting site must not only cover major international tournaments, but also bilateral series and domestic tournaments like the IPL and the Ranji Trophy.

5. Welcome Offers

The right welcome offers can provide you with significant extra money and other means like free bets and bonus vouchers to bet extra on your favourite sports.

Welcome offers are designed to attract new customers. Most of the leading bookmakers are dedicated to offering the best welcome packages to customers, and constantly innovate their promotions to provide the best playing experience to bettors.