Online Betting in India (2023)

Online Sports Betting in India

Online betting continues to get more popular in India, with a wager on the big game helping to make it a lot more exciting to watch.

Whether you are a cricket fan or prefer another sport such as tennis, horse racing or even kabaddi, there is an increasing number of markets to bet on.

Despite a lack of clarity over the rules and regulations surrounding online betting in India, people are heading to betting sites to place wagers more and more.

Anyone new to online betting in India may be unsure of how to get started. After all, it can be quite confusing, especially with so much specific terminology that needs to be understood.

With this in mind, we have put together the following complete guide - so read on for all you need to know about online betting in India.

If you already know how to bet online in India, we recommend comparing our list of the best online sports betting sites for players from India. We list and compare the sports available, the number of betting markets, and the odds for both pre-match and in-play markets on popular sports such as cricket, football, and horse racing.

Is Online Betting Legal in India?

Online betting in India is a complex situation, but it is important to know that it is not illegal to gamble online using offshore betting sites from India.

In short, online betting is still a grey area, with no laws deeming online betting an illegal activity. Under the current legislation, it is legal for Indian residents to gamble online using foreign casinos and bookmakers, except in the state of Maharashtra, where online gambling is completely prohibited.

But, you can bet online in India legally using offshore betting apps such as Parimatch, 1xbet, 10Cric, 4Rabet, and all of the operators we list on BettingGuide. If you come across a betting site that is not on our lists, we do not recommend joining, unless you look for valid gambling licenses yourself.

Most Popular Sports to Bet on in India

Everyone is different, but most Indians like to bet on at least one of the following sports.

Cricket is huge in India and is way out in front as the country's top sport. There is much less public profile for kabaddi betting, but it remains popular around India. Being played almost all year round and globally makes betting on tennis a great selection. While quite a niche sport, chess bets are very popular when big tournaments are on. Horse racing is up there with the top sports to bet on in India without any doubts at all. And a lot of people love to bet on field hockey in India as well, so that makes the list too.

How We Rate the Betting Sites

We recommend only licensed, trusted, and safe gambling sites for Indian customers. Our impartial and honest reviews of sportsbooks and online casinos for real money help our users make smart and informed decisions. Our experts with years of experience in the online gambling industry, provide the most detailed guides and reviews for gambling legally in India.

Overall, a wide range of factors are involved in deciding which of the various betting sites that are available in India are the best. Let's give you a quick overview of what we believe to be the most important of those factors.

Gambling Commission Approved (Licenced)

Making sure your chosen Indian online betting site has the right licences is a must. Sites should display this information somewhere, usually near the bottom of the homepage.

On BettingGuide.com, we only list and review gambling sites with active licenses by national authorities such as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA), and Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).

Safety & Trust

Safety and security at Indian betting sites are some of the most important things to think about when considering which bookmaker to trust with your money.

Safety and security also tie in with licensing. Make sure that the site you are thinking about joining is licensed to operate in a respectable jurisdiction by checking out our reviews. 

If an online betting site is not trusted in India, it is highly unlikely to be a success. It might be worth asking friends and family for personal recommendations of bookmakers too. Finding out how trusted betting sites are is also possible with a simple internet search.

Sign Up Bonus

On BettingGuide, we offer exclusive sign-up offers through our partnership with bookmakers and casinos. We display the important terms and conditions and provide step-by-step guides for how to claim each signup bonus.

Sign-up offers might persuade you to join an Indian betting site for the first time. But once they have got you as a customer, are they going to reward your loyalty?

Some betting sites in India have a VIP program for this reason. Others have regular bonuses and promotions available for their customers to use.

Keep in mind these bonuses are offered for one reason alone - to make you keep playing. That does not mean that they are never worth using, it is just something to remember at all times.

Cashback rewards are a good example that should be treated with a degree of caution. While it might seem good to get some money back from the bookmaker, this only happens if you lose. 

Deposits and Withdrawals

All of the betting sites in our list offer secure banking for deposits and withdrawals and a wide variety of payment methods. These range from debit & credit cards to popular e-wallets such as Neteller & Skrill.

Customer Support

We only list bookmakers that offer customer support with several forms of contact. Most will offer a live chat, email, phone number, and an FAQ section.

Sports Available, Betting Markets & Betting Odds

You will find a full list of sports available in each of our sportsbook reviews, and we also compare the best betting sites for several popular sports such as football, cricket, and horse racing.

After checking the sports available, we look to see how many betting markets they offer both pre-match and in-play. Also, we regularly test the betting margins to see which bookmakers offer the highest betting odds across several different sports.

Mobile Betting

We test and compare the best betting apps and mobile-optimised sites available for Indian customers. If you are betting on mobile, be sure to check out our list of the best betting apps available in India.

In our betting app comparisons, we list the pros and cons for each app and step-by-step guides for installing each app on both Android and iOS devices. Here are some of the best of all betting sites in India.

If you're curious about betting tips and strategies, you can also check out betting guides in our academy!