It’s not difficult at all to find out whether betting and gambling are legal in India. There isn’t one rule that covers to the whole country. Instead there is a mix of historic national rules & regulations and different rules made by different state mostly regulate gaming and betting in India.
Legal Framework: State Control and Central Laws
- The Public gaming Act of 1867 is the main national law which controls the gaming. This rule makes it illegal to operate or go to “common gaming-houses,” which are locations where people play different betting games for money with dice, cards or other betting tools.
- The Indian Constitution does say that each state may create its own laws about gaming and betting. This is due to gambling is on the “State List.”
- Due to this rule different states have implemented different methods.
What Is Legal: Lotteries, Horse Racing and Casinos
Because of this complicated system only a few kinds of gambling are still legal in some states:
- Many states are allowing lotteries run by the government.
- Some authorities allow betting on horse races because a court has found that it requires skill, not just luck, that’s why it’s allowed.
- Only a few states permits casinos to operate legally. For example Goa allows casinos to run on land and in the water as long as they meet certain rules & Regulations. Many games that are typically thought of as “games of skill,” like different types of card games may also be allowed, depending on the state and if the game depends primarily on talent rather than luck.
The New Rule: A Crackdown on Online Gambling and Betting (2025)
- The PROGA 2025 was approved by parliament on August 22, 2025. This new law creates rules for online gaming but it makes it illegal to gamble or bet online for money in India.
- This law declares it illegal to offer, promote or pay for online gambling whether it’s betting or games of skill.
- Due to this a lot of popular online gaming sites have stopped offering real-money games or changed to free-to-play versions to follow the law.
- This is a huge change. Even if a game was called a “game of skill,” the recent law makes it illegal to play for real money online.
Reality on the Ground: Different in Each State and Hard to Implement
- Even though there is a basic law what is legal and what is not can still depend on which state you are living. Some states have had strict rules in the past just like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha have either prohibited or limited real-money online games.
- Some states might allow traditional offline gambling like casinos in Goa or horse racing in states that regulate it.
However it may still be against the law in many other states. The confusion of rules and the recent changes to the law have made things complicated. The national 2025 Act makes things that were once allowed in some parts of India illegal.
Conclusion:
In India there is not single legal status for betting and gaming. In different states, state lotteries, horse racing and casinos may be legal. However most kinds of betting and gambling especially online betting are either prohibited or not allowed at all. The 2025 national law has made it more difficult for people to play real money games online in all over the India.
If you want to gamble or bet in any way, you need to be sure that you know what is permitted in your state and whether the activity is allowed or not. Because the law is always changing what is legal now may not be in the future. It’s best to be safe than regrettable when it comes to legal or financial concerns.