With the world shifting to the digital realm for more and more activities, gambling is going online too! Online gambling or e-gambling means engaging in betting sports or casinos over the web instead of doing it physically in an actual casino. Bets on live22 are placed using a credit card and the results of winning or losing are similarly redeemed.
Rise of Online Gambling
Gambling has been around in India since the times of the Mahabharata. With time, the betting sport rooted itself deep in the societal framework. So, the government imposed a ban on betting and similar activities in 1867. But with the easy accessibility of the internet in 1994, the loop started again. As Indians discovered the world of the www, gambling and betting eventually shifted online by 2010.
Types of Online Betting and Gambling
There are several options these days. The most popular ones are mentioned below.
- Slots: This is the same as it is in physical casinos and often involves huge amounts.
- Poker: This is the most popular one and people can play with players from across the globe.
- Horses: Betting in horse races is nothing new. The online version is nascent with better accuracy.
- Blackjack: This online version is very similar to the physical version where the player has to beat the dealer.
- Roulette: Since it is purely based on luck, playing online doesn’t create much of a difference.
Is it legal to gamble online in India?
In 1867, the centralized legislation known as The Public Gambling Act was introduced before which every state had its own regulations. Many states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab adopted it while others stayed adamant on having regulations unique to each state. And, there was no mention of online gambling obviously as the internet wasn’t a thing.
Orissa and Assam were the first in line to declare that the Gambling Laws shall be inclusive of the games requiring the skills. This somewhat brought online gambling under the umbrella as well. However, poker (both physical and online) is permitted in the states of Nagaland, Sikkim and West Bengal under the State Legislation.
The Bottom Line
Although betting sports and gambling are illegal by the law, lack of legislation for the online counterpart acts as a loophole in the system. So, what we need is a robust legislation free of such loopholes.