Best Betting Sites in India
India is one of the most populous countries globally, with more than 1 billion people calling India home. Besides its huge population, India is home to millions of sports betting enthusiasts, with gambling being one of India’s culture for more than three hundred years.
Despite sharp criticisms from political, religious, and political leaders, betting sites in India seem to be flourishing on almost a daily basis with Indian players massively wagering on cricket, India’s favorite sport. Based on recent estimates, individuals who have attained the legal age of gambling place bets at least once every month.
More than 75% of these wagers feature major cricket events. While India’s view of sports betting appears somewhat conservative compared to western standards, significant steps are being taken to move to a more liberalized licensing system. Such follows, especially following suggestions of full regulation of online gambling by the Law Commission of India passed in 2018.
Betting in India – 5 essential things to know
- So far, there’s no legal action that has been taken against persons who engage in online sports betting
- A majority of credit transactions that take place between online betting sites are prohibited
- 80% of sports betting revenues come from cricket betting
- While there’s a new betting law proposed in 2018, it has yet to be subjected to a vote
- Online betting is fully legal in Sikkim state since 1st August 2009
Best Indian online betting sites
We grouped the best betting sites accepting Indian players by narrowing our choice on aspects that players consider the most, such as high odds, fast payouts, and convenient deposit and withdrawal methods. After careful review, we found 22bet, 888sport, and 1xBet to be ideal for Indian players. All of these accept Indian Rupee and several secure and convenient payment options.
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How to go about choosing the best Indian betting sites
Choosing the best Indian betting site to play at may seem like a daunting exercise. But such is not the case when looking for the best one to play at, make sure that you consider the following aspects:
- Live Streaming – this is one of those features that online betting sites that purport to be the best in the market must offer? Are you in a position to watch the matches as they progress? If such a feature is missing, then there’s no harm looking elsewhere. Luckily enough, top sportsbooks such as 1XBet and Bet365 have this feature in place.
- Cricket – undoubtedly, cricket is India’s most popular sporting event. A majority of Indian bookies understand this and offer attractive odds and plenty of betting markets on cricket. When looking for a betting site in India, ensure that they offer plenty of betting markets, odds, and alternative bets on top leagues such as the CPL or IPL.
- Payment via Rupees – again, when looking for a betting site in India to sign up to, you need to ensure that you can fund your account using Indian Rupees. Additionally, it would be ideal to stick to a betting site that allows you to conveniently withdraw your winnings via Rupees. The reason for this is due to the fact that you don’t have to incur additional costs when converting your Rupees to some foreign currency. 22Bet and Betwinner excel in terms of accepting payments via Rupees.
- Promotions – besides excellent welcome bonuses, some of the best betting sites have to provide its customers with daily, weekly, or monthly promotional offers. When looking for a betting site, go for those that offer regular promotions on major competitions such as The Ashes and the Marsh One Day Cup, among others. 10Cric highly excels when it comes to regular promos.
- Local Bank Transfers – when it comes to financing your online sports betting account, then you may have to consider as to whether the bookie of your choice easily accepts local bank transfers, both in terms of deposits and withdrawals. Again, 10Cric seems to excel when it comes to facilitating local bank transfers easily.
The gambling law and online sports betting in India
Online sports betting appears to be a grey area in India as such isn’t regulated. Therefore, gambling is a prohibited exercise, especially in accordance with the Public Gaming Act of 1867. Since then, this law remains to be the only gambling law across India. From a legal perspective, sports betting appears to be legal only in the state of Sikkim.
But while betting is pictured as being an illegal activity, all the states in India are at freedom to interpret the betting laws as they prefer. For foreign bookies, online sports betting is seen as a profitable grey market. Local bettors are at will to play at several non-licensed bookies that serve the local market.
Betting in India: Is it Legal for Indian Players?
As noted earlier, betting isn’t legal in India, and players who wager online do so with the consent of the government. However, there’s no reason for alarm except for blocks emanating from ISP and payment service providers.
So far, no legal actions have been effected for those who choose to play online. While there have been a few cases of law enforcement, such hasn’t been serious as such. For instance, in 2019, the local police arrested two men in Jaipur for engaging in illegal betting activities, but nothing serious was ever reported.
Local players have been able to circumvent geo-backing measures that are imposed by using a VPN. While several betting exchanges across the country recently ceased their operations, there are a few surviving ones such as Bet365, 22Bet, and 10Cric. With India continuing to remain a grey area in terms of sports betting, bettors aren’t compelled to pay any taxes on their winnings.
India Sports Betting
Betting in India isn’t as perfect when compared to western countries, but nevertheless, local players seem passionate about betting. While there are plenty of sports to bet on, cricket remains to be a popular sports betting activity, with 80% of the wager being placed on the IPL, The Ashes, the CPL, and the Big Bash.
While football lacks the same popularity compared to cricket, a closer examination reveals that such bets are on the rise. Also, betting on horse racing and Kabaddi is also on the rise in India.
Betting online in India: How to go about this
If you seem lost or confused about how to go about betting online in India, all you have to do is to carefully follow the four steps below:
Step 1: Signing up for a sports betting account.
The first thing that you have to do is to register for sports betting account with a bookie of your choice. Mostly, the procedure of doing so is hassle-free and can be even done through a mobile device. All you have to do is to click on the Sign-Up button and begin creating your account. Here, a majority of bookies will ask you to fill in your real name, home address, password, and username.
Step 2: Depositing money to your sports betting account
After you are done with the registration process, you may want to fund your account and begin placing bets on your favorite. To be on the safe side, you need to look for betting sites that accept local bank transfers such as RuPay, UPI, and IMPS. Other popular and most preferred low fees payment options popular with Indian bettors are e-wallets Neteller, Skrill, Ecopayz, and Webmoney. Also, ensure that the bookie of your choice accepts rupees so that you eliminate currency conversion fees.
Step 3: Account verification
As noted in step 1, you may have to use your real names. Almost all bookmakers will ask you for some sort of verification the moment you get to make your initial deposit or if you want to make withdrawals on your winnings. Some essential documents that you may require to finalize your KYC process may include your driver’s license, passport, a utility bill, or a copy of your ID to verify your full address.
Something good about this is that you can send all these details to them either by email or uploading them through the relevant section of your profile, provided your bookmaker supports such. Of importance to note is that mostly, the verification process doesn’t normally exceed 24 hours.
Step 4: Conducting withdrawals
Should you be lucky, then withdrawals have to be conducted using the same payment method that you used while conducting deposits. This is another important feature that you need to consider when betting online in India.
The reason for this is fairly simple to understand. You do not want to incur some additional exchange rate fees, for instance, when sending money from e-wallets to your bank account. Still, you need to be aware that depending on the deposit method you use, and it may take up to 3 business for you to receive your winnings.
Online sports betting in India: Future trends
While things may appear gleam right now, examined closely, the future of online betting in India looks a bit promising with the government showing a clear intention of fully legalizing online sports betting across the country.
Based on the 276th report that was released in 2018 by India’s Law Commission, sports betting in India is going to face some regulations sooner. However, there’s still no significant development yet, though this might just be a matter of time. If such happens, all parties will benefit from the government attracting significant revenues and the players being accorded the opportunity to place their bets legally on their preferred sporting events.
A Full List of Indian Betting Sites
The following is a complete list of betting sites that accept Indian players and some of the reasons as to why you may consider signing up to them and placing your wagers:
- 22BET – this bookie has got a cashout option, more than 1,000 live events daily, and a 95% payout on some of the top leagues.
- 1xBet – here, players are assured of 1,000 live matches daily, Asian Handicap, and more than 50 sports to bet on.
- 888sport – bettors with an account here can get more than 10,000 live events monthly, a bet builder, and more than 40 sports to wager on.
- BETWINNER – at BETWINNER, players stand a chance of getting more than 1000 pre-match events, 98%+ on tennis, and the availability of horse racing.
- FEZbet – this bookie offers its customers the cashout option, fast markets, and next minute bets.
- Bet365 – this one is ideal for football lovers consisting of several Asian handicap markets and more than 150 extra bets on top leagues.
- Librabet – Librabet offers high odds on football, a huge variety of betting markets, and an intriguing welcome bonus.
- Unibet – at Unibet, bettors are assured of more than 250,000 pre-match events a year, more than 10,000 live events monthly, and 96%+ Asian Handicaps.
- Melbet – this bookie comes with a quick bet feature, cashout, and 95% on tennis and basketball.
- Rabona – here, players can bet in anonymity with the assurance of extra two-step security. There’s also a cashout and partial cash-out option.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is it legal to engage in online gambling across India?In technical terms, all types of gambling are considered illegal. However, the country's law appears outdated and doesn't mention anything to do with online gambling in India. Therefore, you are free to play.
- What are some of the betting sites that accept Indian Rupees?Not all of them accept Indian Rupees. However, some that accept them include Melbet, Royal Panda, 22Bet, Betwinner, and 1xBet.
- What's the legality of hawala betting in India?Hawala betting is prohibited in India and highly punishable by law if you are caught doing so. Bettors are required to use real money when placing their individual wagers.
- Which are some of the best local Indian betting sites?Undoubtedly, 10Cric is considered as the best local betting site in India based on their high odds in addition to a wide variety of markets to bet on.
- What's the best Indian betting app?There are plenty of them currently being used by Indian players. However, Bet365 offers the best betting app based on its simple interface and a fast navigation menu, to mention but a few.
- Which foreign betting sites offer Hindi as part of their language?Examples of international bookies that offer Hindi as a standard language include Melbet, Betwinner, 1XBet, and 22Bet. They do so as a means of ensuring that they cater to the needs of Indian players.