Indian Casino Platforms And Its Offerings - Legal Status, Trends, And Insights

Akil Khan
by Akil Khan
July 19, 2023

You may find the shortest route to ruining yourself in Gambling. But the current scenario of online casinos in India expresses a different note. Today, you cannot find a single seat vacant at a casino for a day. Is it the continuous demand of gamblers, or casinos have the legal status in India to run their business?

Since many casino games are being deemed as the game of skills, the Indian government is ruling in favor of online casinos, paving the way for country-wide acceptance and popularity. After all, one thing is sure, Indians' love for Gambling has prompted the regulatory bodies to strive and allow many games for the sake of their fellow citizens. So, let us see which games are preponderantly hit by the prohibitions under most Gaming Laws and how people react to these laws and jurisdictions.

Casino Games

The number of wins counts, not the times you have played at a casino. Have you ever got the freedom in India to play casino games uncountable times? Gambling is complicated in India; the Indian government has directly asserted that casino games would be prohibited as they are not considered a game of skill. But certain states and union territories are exempted from this rule, and they gladly provide these casino games like slots and table games in their territory, providing fun to the gamblers.

For example, many casino operators in Goa have opened an in-house table and affixed specific slot machines in their land-based lobby. They are also providing online casino games to their customers these days. Sikkim acquired a gambling license in 2007 from the Sikkim Casino Games Commencement to provide certain games like roulette, blackjack, slot machines, lotteries, etc. The humble emergence of virtual Gambling led them to open online casinos, drawing more customers who are unaware of the places where the traditional styles of casino activities are taking place by acquiring the license from the Goa Act.

Casino Games

Poker

Fortunately, poker is being recognized as a game of skills by many state-level jurisdictions, amending that poker can be gambled at the offline and online versions of casinos freely without taking any stress from the Gambling Act orders in India. This excuse of operating poker in the states of India has tempted Nagaland and Meghalaya to express their views on offering poker at their online casinos. They currently provide many customers with this game and expand the boundaries by including other poker variants like Texas Hold'em. So, if you are a poker man, never trust that poker card as it says something and hides everything.

Bingo

It's time to leave your lucky seat and start playing Bingo! This type of game expresses that their playing formats require a game of chance rather than skills because it consists of lottery-type games in common in their list. Indians are fond of playing with lotteries because it yields a swift income instead of working hard or using brains to earn money.

That is why these games are barred under many gambling laws of India, but it is currently introduced as a fantasy gambling game; Sikkim has accumulated a license to include lottery games in their vast library of casino games. It can be said that Indian gamblers are free to play lottery games and win huge payouts if it strikes their luck with the winning number.

Skill Games

Indians appreciate skill games and allow their citizens to play skill games that need mathematical analytics, probability, and complicated calculation to treat the game and for winning them. For this course, Indian laws have set the approval to offer the games of skills at the online and offline casino platforms to enroll fun, thrill, and excitement of winning stays simultaneously. The states of Nagaland, Goa, and Meghalaya have a licensing regime to run these games at their casino. Still, on the other side, Andhra Pradesh has strictly excluded these games from their gambling list because they want to access them to earn revenue instead of simply Gambling.

Indian States Acquire their Gambling License and Fees They Pay for the Same

Since the Indian gambling law was passed before online Gambling, there is no other specific rule in India. Many states now follow a licensing regime, and the amount they have to pay to secure a license is listed below:

  • Goa and Daman - Goa Act provides licenses to the operators offering casino games and slot machines in the territories of Goa, Daman, and Diu.

  • Fees Required - The annual license fee for traditional casinos is approximately INR 11,00,00,000 to INR 44,00,00,000. The range of the money statically depends on the casino's location. These fees are further subjected to annual increases.

  • Sikkim - Gambling activities occurring in the territories of Sikkim are regulated by the Sikkim Casino Act and Rules and by the Sikkim government. The licensees can offer their services and gambling activities in their land-based casinos.

  • Fees Required - To acquire the license for their gambling business from the Sikkim Act and Rules requires a provisional fee of INR 1,00,000 to 1,00,00,000 for a five-year tenure.

  • Meghalaya - Under the Meghalaya Act and Rules, the operators offer services for both "games of skill," including bridge; poker; virtual sports, including the "games of chance" like craps; keno; roulette. They allow these operators to provide their services on the physical premises or the Internet. It is pertinent to note that a license shall be issued only to a person or entity that is incorporated in India.

  • Fees - Meghalaya Act asks for a payment for license acquisition, or a provisional license fee is INR 1,00,000, and it is complete in six months. After that, an annual license fee is required for INR 2,00,00,000 and is valid for five years.

Indian States Acquire their Gambling License and Fees They Pay for the Same

Conclusion

What is the core reason for gaining a Gambling habit? Indians consider gambling the easiest way of earning income, encouraging them to gamble. Though this consideration not only helps the punters, Gambling enacts economic expansion leading to the betterment of the Indian financial and economic status. But, as Gambling is a business that imbibes chaos, uncontrollable, and unstable form, it needs some laws and order. India and its states have their own jurisdiction and gambling laws which the state's gambling operators should follow to make it seamless and smooth.

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Lotteries and other forms of gambling have a colourful history in India. While lotteries are regulated under a central umbrella, how they are managed is subject to the discretion of state governments. However, the growing popularity of lotteries saw the Lotteries (Regulation) Act of 1998 and the Lotteries (Regulation) Rules 2010 introduced, which established detailed standards for the governments to follow. 

Currently, lottery games are legal in 13 Indian states, though anyone of legal gambling age in India can buy international lottery tickets online. The ticket prices and prize pools of government lotteries in India vary depending on the lottery scheme and state in which it is regulated. Tickets for weekly draws begin at modest prices like ₹2 or ₹5 and increase for bumper draws and special schemes.

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Beyond chance: where gambling and Vedic astrology meet
Akil Khan

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Beyond chance: where gambling and Vedic astrology meet

Whether you like it or not, luck plays a crucial role in gambling. And while many would argue that it’s an unreliable force, for many Indians, the ancient tradition of Vedic astrology offers a way to understand how luck works in the universe and how one could potentially manipulate it to work in one’s favour.

Vedic astrology (known as Jyotish in Sanskrit) is the practice of studying planetary positions, celestial influences, and karmic patterns to understand how these influence and shape human lives and destinies.

When it comes to gambling, some Indians look to Vedic astrology to boost their chances of success. By analysing astrological charts and horoscopes, and identifying cosmic connections, gamblers seek to find the most advantageous time to gamble, looking for lucky combinations of numbers, or even charms and rituals to help improve their chances.

Let’s look at this more closely:

Planetary configurations

"Muhurtha", an essential principle of Vedic astrology, indicates the opportune time to partake in certain activities based on planetary configurations. It also highlights when best to avoid certain activities. So, in the case of gambling, a player would wait for a favourable Muhurtha to maximise their chances of success.

Presence of the planets

Vedic astrology focuses on nine “grahas”, which are collectively referred to as the “navagrahas” (nava meaning nine). They include the sun (Surya), moon (Chandra), Mars (Mangala), Mercury (Budha), Jupiter (Brihaspati), Venus (Shukra), Saturn (Shani), Rahu (north node of the moon), and Ketu (south node of the moon). According to Vedic astrology, the planet Venus offers luxury and Jupiter provides immense wealth. A conjunction of Jupiter and Venus unafflicted with the moon is therefore said to bring good luck and prosperity.

Birth charts

Many Indians strongly believe in analysing their birth chart in every aspect of their life. This comes from Vedic astrology, which argues that the alignment of different celestial bodies at your birth can provide invaluable insights. In the case of betting, it could highlight a person’s gambling and risk-taking tendencies and subsequent strategies they could employ to maximise their chances of winning, translating into profits and success.

Astrology and numerology

Hindus love to rely on their favourite numbers, particularly when it comes to gambling, and generally prefer odd numbers over even. Seven and eight are considered auspicious numbers, representing success and prosperity. Many Hindus also use these numbers at the time of Diwali when, in some houses, gambling is a ritual. Another lucky sequence of numbers in Hinduism is 786, representing the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

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Good luck charms: superstitions or divine blessings?
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Good luck charms: superstitions or divine blessings?

In casinos, we often hear phrases like good luck and good fortune. Not surprising, really, given how the majority of casino games are based primarily on chance, though some would claim that success is also down to mathematics and algorithms.

In any case, luck plays a crucial role in gambling, and many gamblers will have their own rituals they perform before games or even lucky charms they carry to improve their chances of winning.

Hinduism, one of the oldest practising religions in the world, believes in positive and negative energy, which could define your moves and outcomes. Furthermore, there are several ways one can channel these energies, whether through prayer or certain objects such as charms or symbols. We shall discuss these in more detail below.

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