Premise of Online Gambling

Online Gambling in India  

              It's the year 2020, and most of our day-to-day operations are going online nowadays. Some countries are adapting faster than most, based on their existing infrastructure. In today’s context, most of people's recreational activities have also undergone a paradigm shift and migrated online.

 

India & Online Gambling: Current Scenario

               When most Indians think online games, gambling isn’t usually the first thing that pops into their heads. Granted, gambling is still in a very barebones phase in the country as of today. Why? Because there’s still an aura of uncertainty surrounding the entire setup in India. So much of it remains obscure that beginners often get cold feet.

                In other words, the gambling scene in India is very niche, growing in small baby steps. Studies have even shown that it could be an integral cog in boosting the Indian entertainment sector significantly. What’s holding it back? More importantly, what’s holding YOU back from diving into gambling?

 

What Goes, What Doesn’t!

                Let’s start at the top. Let’s begin by chipping away at the most common misconceptions surrounding gambling in particular in India.

- Gambling in India is governed primarily by the Public Gaming Act. This has been around since the colonial era (1867) and hasn’t changed much up until today.

 

- The Act considers two factors in its discretion of what constitutes illegal gambling.

o   The nature of the game. Games that hinge on luck and random chance are a no-go. Think slot machines, roulette and Blackjack are few to be noted, and these games that favor skill-based outcomes, however, are considered fair game, such as fantasy league sports, rummy, poker, etc.

 

o   The physical location in the country. While the Act has nationwide jurisdiction, in the modern era, each state has the authority to adopt the act as it deems fit.

 

                  For example, in Sikkim, gambling in most forms is legal and regulated. In Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, physical gambling of any kind is strictly prohibited. Consequently, there’s been a lot more confusion as to what the hard-and-fast rules are.

                  In the end, gambling’s legitimacy in India is highly contextual. It changes based on where you are and what you’re playing. So where does that leave gambling?

 

Online Gambling Corner:

                    As far as the IPC goes, online gambling comes under the IT Act. There’s no specific mention of anything associated with gambling at all. You and I are free to enjoy gambling, provided it’s from foreign hosts.

                   There are roadblocks on the way. Much like the grey area where the gambling sits in and the government tries to subtly curb it through ISP-blocking and transaction blocking.

                    Even though the Act has no provisions or guidelines regarding the gambling on foreign-based platforms, there are hurdles in the way. However, these can easily be worked around through VPNs and secure payment portals. Here’s the icing on the cake: since many companies are based internationally, the earnings you get may even be exempted from taxation!

Verdict:

                    Though online gambling is still in the initial phase in the country, the future holds promise for the game. For the record, gambling is a 100% legitimate way to spend your recreation time. If you want to take the plunge, go ahead! Make sure that the sites you visit are 100% legitimate as well!

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Arjun