For any online casino enthusiast or simply a gambling enthusiast in India, this is an ever-existent question. Are casinos legal? Is online casino legal in India? Will I get caught by the police if I try and play them?
First-time users at Baazi247 reach our customer service every day with these sorts of questions. There are laws, yes, but it is also true that they are very murky. This is where we step in, to help our customers at Baazi247 or any individual with a passion for gambling in India.
Therefore, in this article, we will look at online casino games are legal in India or not, try and navigate the laws varying according to the states. Finally, answer the question about the legality.
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With that out of the way, let’s get into the topic at hand. Should Online Casinos in India be legal?
Online Casinos mere extension of Gambling
This is what many people fail to understand. There is a stigma surrounding online casinos and essentially rendering them “not Gambling.” Most people have this mindset that foul play goes on in Online Casinos and you can’t confront the casinos head-on as you are playing remote. In short, they take advantage of you.
With the rise in technology and just like everything else, this is just a shift of plain old gambling to the online sphere. Does online delivery of your food from your favorite restaurant make that restaurant any less liable about the quality of food? No. There are numerous actions you can take against the restaurant.
Similarly, online casinos just can’t take advantage of you without any repercussions.
For people well versed in technology, this may seem like a moot point. However, as you all know, society is not filled with men and women like that. Therefore, this clarity and distinction about online casinos are very much necessary among the general public for online casinos to stand a chance with the legislation and legality.
India and Gambling, Tale as Old as Time
Gambling in India is very much ingrained in the culture itself. Hindu tales about Shiv Jee and Parvati gambling on their first night of marriage, to Yudhisthir gambling his fortunes away in Mahabharat, to our wedding ceremonies where soon-to-be husband wives play a quick game as a part of the tradition, it’s everywhere. Nearly every minority group in India has an association with gambling in one way or another.
Therefore, it’s a shame really that we Indians are all confused about whether gambling is a legal thing to do.
It is also a sensible thing for a government to regulate gambling. This in turn brings in revenue from casinos and gambling houses that are currently operating underground and are infested with shady practices.
This is like how sensible parents want their kids to drink right in front of them, once they come of age so that they can watch their habits and remove all the stigma around drinking and intervene once things seem to go out of hand.
How Things Stand To Make Online Casino in India Legal
In India, the one gambling act that rules them all is the Public Gambling Act of 1867. Yes, it’s that old. Some state-sponsored bills tried to curb it but were ultimately unsuccessful. This rule discourages anyone from operating a gaming house or visiting one.
The state of Sikkim tried to pass a bill on legalizing online casinos but it went nowhere.
To put it precisely, there is no law currently preventing you from playing in online casinos that are not registered in India and hosted offshore. Therefore, you are perfectly okay if you play in sites like Baazi247, the Best online casino in India.
The article “Why is online gambling illegal in some states of India?” goes in more depth if you are interested in that.
Final Verdict of Legalization of Online Casino In India
So, after all this, what do you think? It only seems sensible to us that with India entering its new age, it does so by embracing gambling as a harmless vice and regulating it, helping players and the government itself in the process.
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Like this article? You might also like “Online Gambling in India: Frequently Asked Questions”