Is Online Football Betting Legal in India? Do betting sites operate under legal licenses? Is it safe to bet on football online? Discover the truth with W88indi!
Football is one of the most enjoyed sports that many people tend to genuinely enjoy watching as well as playing, however in recent times, football betting has increased in popularity where many people tend to look for online betting sites to play football betting online. But again there are many people who wish to gamble on football online but are afraid of its legal consequences. If you are one of these people, then you have come to the right place as we let you in on the answers to questions like is online football betting legal in India or not.
Is Football Betting Legal in India?
It is widely believed, that the best part about Indians is that we know how to enjoy, and sports matches like football are indeed very much celebrated like a mini-festival here, of course if the team we root for wins. However, in recent times, many people have been enjoying their sports alongside with placing bets on their favorite teams in the football sports on online betting sites.
Football Betting Sites with Foreign Licenses are Allowed in India.
That being said, the legality of soccer betting in India, or as a matter of fact, the legality of sports betting in India remains unknown. This is because India’s only gambling law rarely mentioned anything about sports or football betting offline and online. However, in India there are many online betting sites existing thanks to the availability of their services via the legal foreign licenses they operate under. This makes the answers to the question of is online football betting legal in India vague. To find out more about this and why such is the case, let us take you back to the 1867 in India.
The Indian Gambling Act of 1867
Back in the days, in India, gaming houses where people get together to gamble were popular however, used to take a toll on people and so the government of India introduced the Indian Gambling Act of 1867. This act states that all gaming houses, which are enclosed spaces where gambling equipment are kept, are banned and that if anybody found guilty of indulging in gambling they would be charged with a fine they must pay.
India’s only gambling act bans public gaming houses, however, it does not mention online gambling and thus, is outdated
This gambling law of India basically prohibited anyone from playing gambling or placing bets on the games they play in enclosed spaces.
Moreover, the gambling act encouraged people to call out on those indulging in such acts as the informer would be paid half of the fine.
Lastly, to be more specific, the government distinguished game of skills from game of chance, indicating that game of chance leans more towards gambling games and so, must be avoided.
Thus, the Indian Gambling Act of 1867 made it impossible for people to gather together and place bets on any sort of game including animal fighting or sports, as these were forms of gambling too. What is even more intriguing is that this is the only gambling law India has and it has not been amended since then, although there are more bills being introduced regarding gambling in today’s time. To add to this, the gambling act does not really elaborate on sports betting or talk much about it, and so the only gambling law of India is not very strong enough to determine the answer to is online football betting legal in India.
Why is Football Betting Still Active in India?
Above we have stated that football betting or sports betting is not really spoken about in the Indian gambling act as it only leans more towards casino games, and so sports betting has persisted in India for a very long time. Yes, there are some people against it however, sports betting is one of the most widely accepted forms of betting in India besides playing the lottery, so you can check out our article on football betting for beginners to learn how you can play legally.
Always look for License and Gambling Help on Your Online Betting Site
That being said, many online betting sites have been emerging that offers many Indian gamblers with amazing sportsbook to place bets on, and surprisingly, they operate legally in India!
However, to operate legally in India, they must own a foreign license provided by a foreign company. Malta and Curacao are the leading countries that offer such licenses.
In fact, there are many football teams across the globe who partner up with such online betting sites in sponsorship deals where these prominent football teams promote the online betting site across the globe.
Besides, since most betting sites are online and live, the gambling law does not apply to online services even if anything about sports betting was mentioned in it.
Lastly, online betting sites are accessible to any one any where, making playing online football betting even more easier where you can even receive instant payouts and bonuses.
This is why, football betting is thriving in India and thanks to online betting sites, online football betting is legal in India as long as the site used operates legally under a foreign license. However, it is important to keep in mind that India, the country and its government have not approved of sports betting legally yet.
Are Football Betting-Related Issues Actively Debated in India?
In short, yes, however, the topic of concern whether is online football betting legal in India, is both spoken about in the negative and positive light as there are equal number of people who are for it and against it. The reason behind this is that sports betting is considered to be gambling where people tend to spend money irresponsibly thereby affecting the economy of the country illegally and also their health, but also considered to be the safest form of gambling because you can place accurate bets here compared to bets placed on casino games.
Your Online Betting Site Should Come with Self Exclusion Options
Thus, when it comes to legal terms of is betting on football legal, there are people who have been trying to put a ban on football betting and betting sites by proposing laws to forbid any use of online sites backed by foreign licenses.
But again, people have also been proposing laws to legalize only sports betting in India as it helps enhance a football match experience as many people tend to truly enjoy placing bets to predict the winning teams and other such bets.
Thus, as mentioned above, sports betting is a form of gambling that is perhaps the safest form as you get odds and statistics provided by expert bookmakers, so that you can place accurate bets online.
In fact, there are prominent football players who voice their opinions on these betting odds as well and end up giving their own predictions which fans can use to place bets on their favorite teams.
Along with this, let us not forget that back in 1950, one of the reasons India did not attend the World Cup, was due to lack of funds, although the hosting country Brazil were ready to fund them.
Thus, football betting sites are very important for such teams as it does not only funds them but also provide them with enough exposure so that fans can support them from across the globe, and this is why people tend to supports sports gambling online.
That being said, there are many online betting sites which operate under foreign licenses that promote responsible gambling where they help you lock your betting accounts when you feel like you are spending a lot of money on it. So, the people who are for making football betting legal in India in the debate of is football betting legal in India, promote only those sites that not only operate legally but also provide responsible gaming services to its customers. Besides there are many how to win football betting strategies that you can follow to win the bets, making it a game of skill.
What is the Future of Football Betting Online and its Legality in India?
So far you know that there is a gambling law in India that has not been amended since it first came out which is in 1867, and that this law does not exclusively speak for sports betting or whether is online football gambling legal in India. You also have learnt about how people are still trying to ban online football betting and online sites that operate under foreign licenses as it affects the economy negatively, but also that football betting can be one of the safest forms of gambling thanks to bookies and top experienced players’ expertise.
Online betting sites that promotes Responsible Gambling have a better chance to survive in future
So, the simple answer to is online football betting legal question would be that football betting is not legal in India yet as there are still debates going on actively to make online football gambling legal. Thus, the future of legalizing online football betting in India remains unknown but one thing is for sure, there are online betting sites that continue to grow in number which many Indians use for football betting online whenever there is an interesting season.
Besides this, there are many actors and actresses in India promoting betting sites that offer you with welcome bonuses and other promotional deals that are very pocket-friendly. So, despite football betting not being officially legalized in India, you can still play football betting online using some football betting tips to make it a game of skill and not just chance.
Try these Top 3 Online Football Gambling Legal Sites
Now that we have come to the end of the article of is football betting legal in India, we hope we have helped you with enough information to let you decide whether you want to go ahead with playing football betting online or not. However, if you wish to go ahead with placing bets on your favorite football teams by using football betting tips then it is important that you choose an online legal betting site to do so. The following are the top 3 legal online betting sites in India which you can use to play football betting online:
10CRIC:10CRIC is the first site that comes to the mind of many online gamblers who think of football betting as it promoted safe and responsible gamble and is, gives you one of the best bonus deals on sports in the betting world, and also the quick and instant betting odds. At 10CRIC, you can gamble responsibly, safely, and legally as it is licensed with a Curaçao eGaming License. If you create an account at 10CRIC, you will get a 10CRIC bonus up to ₹30,000 as a new member promotion.
W88:W88 is the next leading online betting site in India you can use especially as a beginner because it gives you the chance to play football betting online which is legal with its license from Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and also safely. It is one of the easiest sites to use that promotes responsible gaming and also gives you a new member bonus with additional free credit. The W88 promotion offer gives its customers a welcome bonus up to ₹15,000 on sports betting and also gives a freebet worth ₹250 on account verification.
Betway:Betway is not only beginner friendly but also caters to many pro gamblers for football betting as here you can set betting limits for yourself weekly. Betway is legal and safe to use which offers you a bonus of ₹4,000 which is enough to enjoy online football betting legally. It is operated legally in India with a license from the Malta Gaming authority and is one of the top online football betting sites all over Asia.
Conclusion
With this, we hope to have answered your question on is online football betting legal in India. It is important that you look into this topic deeply and research well to avoid any indulging in any fraudulent activities unknowingly. Not only this but it is important to look into the online football betting site’s license and the renewal date because online, you will find many such football sportsbook providers that offer its customers with outdated licenses that eventually leads to unwanted problems. With this we wish you safe and responsible gambling and bid adieu!
