Gambling is a big business in most places. After all, the operators love to part customers with their money and the gamblers chase the thrill of winning millions of dollars. Or in the case of India, millions of rupees. Is gambling commonplace in India? Let’s run down some key factors that make up the perception of gambling in the nation, especially given the emergence of mobile casinos which has made it more accessible than ever.
The Legality of Gambling in India
Classically, Indian governments have opposed gambling. However, given that India is a multicultural society with a rich tapestry of different religions and belief systems, it’s been hard for one central body to define what the entire nation should or should not do in their free time or with their financial resources. This has led the law to be relatively lax on gambling as long as they are operating under subsequent regulation. However, some Indian generations still view gambling as immoral.
However, this is different in Goa entirely. This city operates multiple casinos which attract both domestic and international gambling tourists. The states of Daman and Sikkim also allow casinos but are not as popular as Goa. The city of Visakhapatnam has become notorious for having underground gambling dens, which the local government did consider cashing in on by legalizing it and reaping the benefits from taxing it. However, this has since gone rather quiet.
It’s worth noting that all 27 states within India reserve jurisdiction as to whether gambling and online gambling are allowed within their borders. Given that a lot of the laws cited by the respective politicians are very old and don’t explicitly cover online gambling, it’s widely considered that Indian jurisdictions should overhaul the laws around it to give a clear understanding.
The popularity of Gambling in India
Despite the hazy legality of gambling in the country, India makes up a decent chunk of the worldwide betting community. Statistics from 2021 stated that 25% of all adults in India said that they ‘really enjoyed’ gambling. When a quarter of your adult population says they like gambling in a country the size of India, you know there’s a market for it and if you want to find out what it’s all about then check out these top 10 mobile casinos
The Indian bettor particularly enjoys casino games like blackjack and roulette. The latter has been known to create excessively long lines in Goa, where the game is very popular. These games are also popular online but are exceeded by online slots and online bingo games. Another key market is sportsbook betting as it has been said that Indian sports fans love to have a stake in the game, especially in cricket and soccer games,
Given that more and more of the Indian population are online, all markets are swelling in size. A report in 2021 stated that the totality of the Indian gambling industry was worth around $1 billion. However, given the surge of online gambling availability, this figure could be worth more than 100 times that value within less than five years.
Celebrity Endorsement of Gambling in India
YouGov’s deep dive into gambling trends in 2021 and Dr. Madhurima Mishra’s study from a year after, conclusively showed that celebrity endorsements pay off in India. While the data is long and arduous to detail completely, the result is that if gambling companies employ well-known celebrities to advertise and endorse their brand, they’ll typically have an upturn in profits. This is especially true if they use domestic Indian celebs.
Nargis Fakhri is potentially one of the most well-known celebrities in India to endorse gambling having worked extensively with Betway’s Indian offering to make it one of the most popular within the country. Sunny Leone has done similar exercises having worked a lot with JeetWin. PokerStars have also cashed in on the act by working with cricket superstar, MS Dhoni and Bollywood legend Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
