Although gambling is a taboo in India, Online gambling is not listed as illegal completely.
You can hold and operate online accounts on betting sites or sports books based outside of India.
The hassles of these accounts are:
- You would not be able to deposit or withdraw money directly from your bank account- but this can still be enabled through agents or merchants
- You would have to provide your details to online sites- but this is not really a risk, as they remain confidential. Alternatively, accounts can be taken for rentals.
In recent times, the government of India has taken strong steps to curb online gambling, betting and laundering. Although it has no control over the sites, as they are not based in India- and Online gambling is not listed as illegal in India- the government has joined with RBI to disconnect the source, i.e., transactions of banks with such sites.
So although your payments to merchants such as NETeller and Skrill would work for the first time or time being, they might fail in the future. The government has taken strong steps in ensuring the gateway payments get blocked. You can add your card details on merchant sites, yet the payment would be declined. Due to the nature of the transaction being for betting and gambling, the same cannot be enquired with the bank too. Certain banks have listed few merchants as hotlisted and if you make transactions with them, you could get a call from your bank immediately and have your name listed.
Additionally, the merchants have been under tremendous pressure to curb the laundering activities, hence every time you make a transaction to Skrill or NETeller, you are required to mention the purpose of deposit. Once you mention the funds as NON GAMBLING- the money deposited will never be accepted on gambling sites. If you mention the money is for gambling, this alerts the bank and stops the transaction.
The primary legislative document that makes gambling in India a ‘grey’ legality is the Public gambling act. The penalty is a fine not exceeding 200 rupees or up to three months in prison. Although gambling on their website is technically illegal, no one has ever been arrested for gambling in India when their wagers were placed online, with a company located abroad.
As far as Bet 365 is concerned, Indian laws don’t apply to them as they operate under the laws of the United Kingdom where betting is legal. With no servers, advertising or anything else going on in India, the authorities can’t do much to stop Bet 365 from servicing Indian punters. This makes it easy for Indians to use an e-wallet and gamble on matches including IPL cricket at sites such as Bet 365and Canbet.
