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Gambling in India: Strict rules & beautiful casinos

by Sneha Shukla

India has a lot of special regulations for casinos. To make it even more complicated each of the 36 states has its own regulations. Therefore, when travelling to India, you should carefully check which casinos have which rules. In certain states, gambling is generally prohibited and can result in severe penalties.

In total, there are 14 legal casinos located in India. In these, first and foremost, of course, slots are very high on the scale of popularity. The attractions in Indian casinos are spectacular, which is why tourists often visit Indian casinos. 

The general gambling rules are clearly different from those of the online casino. People all over the world can be in places where online casinos are prohibited. However, they can play through servers that are allowed in certain countries. This makes the punishment and the exact definition more difficult to identify.

The Sikkim Law

More and more people in India are opting for online gambling as there is a lot of affinity for it especially in this part of the world. Sikkim is the first state to introduce fixed regulations for online casinos in India. This law has been in place since 2008 and is called the “Sikkim Online Gaming Regulation Act”.

The regulation applies to sports games and online games and the requirement states that only Intrastat terminals can be used. It is not open to foreign players and only Sikkim residents can play. In each state, the regulations vary. In Nagaland, there is also regulation, but only for games of skill that take place online. In Meghalaya, the laws cover both forms, so they must be complied with in the area of games of chance and skill.

New regulations

However, the regulations have not yet been worked out in detail. Therefore, only in the next few years, all regulations will be finalised and completed. In certain states, these types of games are banned. These include Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Assam.

The government is steadily working out new regulations and hopes to get a licence soon. The Sikkim law is applied to businesses like online casinos, especially in games like blackjack and roulette. The Meghalaya Act applies to games such as Wheel of Fortune, Roulette, Keno and Baccarat. Furthermore, there are still many games for which new regulations are being drafted.

Casinos in India

In India, live dealers, slot machines and table games are among the products of a casino. These are prohibited there and violate gambling laws. However, there are exceptions in some states. In Diu, Goa and Daman, slot machines may be offered. However, these must be located in hotels of higher quality. If the right licence is available, gambling is also allowed to be located on a ship. The regulation referring to high-class hotels also applies to Sikkim.

Regulations for poker

Certain states count poker as a game of skill and recognise it. In court, it was established that poker cannot be punished. However, this ruling only applies to police convictions.

The variants involved are Omaha Hold’em and Texas Hold’em. In the states of Meghalaya and Nagaland, poker is again classified as a game of skill. In Gujarat, on the other hand, poker counts as a game of chance. However, appeals against this are already underway.

Public Gambling Act 

All laws are divided into separate legislations in different states. This procedure has been in place since 1950. Each state is allowed to set its own rules regarding gambling.

One of the best known regulations is the Public Gambling Act. This is still in force since then and is also present in several states. These include Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Some states have already undertaken variations of this law.

 

Gambling in other countries

So far, two major laws have been drafted in the past. However, these have not been able to achieve much effectiveness. If it is a website that has an international operator, all Indian laws lose their validity. Since the gambling is valid in other countries. Unfortunately, the authority cannot do anything to keep Indian gamblers away. This is due to the lack of a server.

The difference to skill games

There are no basic rules for distinguishing between games of chance and games of skill. Each case is dealt with individually in court. Meghalaya and Nagaland still have the only licensing on games of skill. These states can submit a licensing scheme. The states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, also have new regulations on gambling.

Clear regulations for games of skill are also being relaunched. In future, all games with a stake are to be banned. Rummy may thus not be offered with money stakes. Thus, the regulation also applies to the state of Kerala, which also enacted this law in 2021.

The new regulations 2021

In 2021, all the laws were discussed again. The game in question was online rummy, which was banned with stakes. The game was found to be infringing and unlawful. The court held that stakes may not be used. They should not be a criterion for deciding on chance or skill.

Rummy, however, remains a game of skill and the court ruled that this game does not fall within the gambling laws.

The most beautiful casino in India

Goa is home to the Casino Royal. This is considered the most beautiful casino in all of India and is located on the Mandovi River. The centre of Goa is only a few kilometres away. There are a total of 45 board games, slot machines, table games and some VIP rooms.

The casino itself also has an amphitheatre, a helicopter platform and a bar. The Casino Royal also offers an online version. You only have to register once and create an account.

The steps of an online casino

The online account must then be topped up and a game selected. The money won is paid in rupees. However, the currency is only available online in US dollars and in English. Online gambling is illegal in India. If one operates such a service, very high costs are to be expected. A five-year prison sentence can also be imposed.

The laws in India are sometimes opaque and complicated. However, more and more clear guidelines are being put in place. India is also trying to adapt to new technologies. Therefore, this place is also using online casinos more and more.

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