India – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
India has, over the past couple of years, become one of the biggest markets for online gambling in the world. With a population of well over a billion people, and where more and more of them have access to both internet and smartphones, online gambling has all but exploded in popularity. As of now, the amount of online casino India available has grown rapidly, as ever more casinos are entering this market. However, all this is happening while the market is not yet regulated for online gambling, but the new gambling laws are imminent. It’s the different states that regulate gambling, and in most of them, gambling at casinos is prohibited. That means there are very few physical casinos in India, which just makes online gambling even more common and popular.
Finding the best India casino online
There are quite a few things you’ll want to look out for when choosing the best online casino India. The main thing is of course that it has to be a casino that accepts players from this country, but it’s always beneficial to choose a casino that is geared towards this market too. Since the options are plentiful, you may as well choose from the very best casinos and the ones who are customized for players from India. Here are some of the things you should look out for when choosing your game operator:
- Which currencies are available, can you play using the Rupee?
- Does the casino offer deposit and withdrawal methods that are popular and common for the local population?
- Are Indian players eligible for promotions and bonuses, such as a welcome offer?
- Does the casino offer any casino tournaments or loyalty schemes you can partake in?
- Is there a good selection of slots, table games and sports betting, and if so do they offer live dealer games with local croupiers or odds on the most popular sports and leagues?
- Where is the casino licensed? Is this a safe license that will also protect Indian players?
Finding all of this information on one casino is fairly easy, as you can do that in less than 5 minutes. However, to make sure you’re choosing the very best casino online India to sign up to you’ll need to check out more than one. To compare tens or hundreds of casinos is too time-consuming for most people, and that’s why we here at GoodLuckMate have done the job for you. Simply take your pick among our recommended favorites, and enjoy not only an entertaining casino but also a safe one.
Gambling regulation – Gaming Enactments
The fact that their gambling laws are called the “Anti Gambling Laws”, tells you everything you need to know about the current situation regarding regulations for gambling in this country. In most states in India, gambling in organized forms is completely prohibited, and it’s only the states of Goa, Daman, Diu and Sikkim that have allowed land-based casinos to operate in their states. In the rest of the country, however, you won’t find a single casino.
Even though gambling at casinos and in public places is outlawed, in most of the country, people still gamble. Actually, Indians are known for being avid gamblers. Betting for money is allowed, and in private settings, this is not a problem. It’s only when the gambling is organized by a casino or takes place in a public place that it’s deemed to be illegal.
One thing the gambling laws don’t cover, though, is online gambling. Online casinos based in other countries are not within the reach of the state authorities, which is why they can roam more or less freely around the country, getting more and more sign-ups from Indian players every single day. However, this is what’s happening at present, but soon it won’t be like this anymore. The new gambling regulations that will include online casinos are expected soon, but what happens then has still not been decided. Online casinos will be legalized, but how they will be regulated, as in what restrictions will be put on them has not yet been decided. This is still up for debate, according to the latest rumors.
Casino in India
Real gambling at real casinos is not something most locals partake in since there are so few places where this can be done. The population has, however, embraced the concept of online casinos. With plenty of casino online India options that allow for gambling using the local currency, native-speaking customer support, exclusive promotions and offers for players residing in India, it’s as close to a perfect solution for gambling as you’ll get. With all of these benefits online it’s no wonder Indians love online casinos!
Dispute resolution – can I get help from a third party?
A gambling license is intended to protect players, and one of its main functions is to provide a mechanism for resolving disputes when they come up. If you have a dispute with a casino, and the casino is being unreasonable, the gambling authority will help you. For many licenses, this means you can contact the gambling authority to get help processing your withdrawals, claiming money the casino has debited from your account, or resolving other disputes that might arise. The likelihood that the gambling authority will help you in ways that are effective, however, depends on the procedures they have in place for this. This is yet another reason why choosing to play at a casino that has a safe license is important.
Getting help directly from the gambling authority is not always necessary, or even an option. A lot of regulators have now enforced third-party dispute resolution. This means casinos must have an agreement with an arbitrator who will look into disputes on the behalf of players from a particular casino. This ensures your dispute will be reviewed by an objective third party. All trusted online casinos have information about arbitration on their websites if they use this option, or they’ll have the contact information for the gambling authority you should consult. However, you should always try to resolve your issues with the casino first, and a lot of casinos have separate email addresses specifically for handling complaints.
Secure payments – can I trust a casino with my money?
If you’re worried about the security of the transactions you’re making at a casino, you should look for a logo with the acronym PCI DSS. This stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, and this is something the payment industry has created. If you see this logo, it means the casino can be trusted for safe money transactions since they follow all of the rules set by the payment industry. Information about this can also be found in an FAQ section on the casino’s website.
Another thing to look out for in terms of payments is where your money is kept while you play. Some gambling authorities, all of the best ones actually, regulate what the casino can do with your money while they are holding it. Your money shouldn’t go into a general bank account held by the casino; it should go into an account that is strictly for holding player funds. This means that as long as you have the money in your player account, it can’t be spent by the casino. Your deposit will be kept separate from the operating funds of the casino until your player account is empty, which will happen if you make a funds withdrawal or if you lose the money while playing.Fair gaming – do the games give me a fair chance to win?
The best known system tool for ensuring that a casino offers fair games is eCogra; however, there are other providers that also offer these kinds of systems. You want to make sure that the casino is using a certified third-party control system to ensure that the games of chance you’re playing are actually based on chance and not on other types of metrics. Rigged games are ones that have been set up to pay out less than they claim to or ones that give some players a greater chance of winning than others.
The eCogra logo can often be found in the footer of the casino’s website, but not all casinos choose to display it. If you can’t see this logo, go to the FAQs and see if you can find information about random number generators. If there are no FAQs on the site, check out their terms and conditions or contact the casino’s support and ask how they ensure their games are safe.
Encrypted website – how is my information kept safe?
An SSL-encrypted website should be mandatory for any casino, and very few casinos operate without this or similar safe encryption features. Always keep in mind that you are giving the casino quite a bit of sensitive information, including your payment details. When you’re uploading and sending documents to verify your identity, you want to make sure that no unauthorized third-party has access to them. Site security, therefore, doesn’t only include the website itself but also what the casino does on the backend. You should always look into a casino’s data security. You’ll normally find information about this in their terms and conditions and their privacy policy. If in doubt, contact their support and ask for more detailed information.
Most trustworthy casinos have information about site security in the website footer, so simply scroll down and look for the logo of a well-known security system.
Gambling license – can I play at a casino from my country?
The gambling license a casino operates under will have a big impact on your security. Not all licenses are equally safe for players for the simple reason that they are issued by different gambling authorities that work in different ways and have different rules. The rules and regulations may be quite similar, but the way they are enforced is a different story entirely. For example, if a casino doesn’t comply with the regulations, some gambling authorities may just issue a fine while others may revoke the casino’s license outright. How often gambling authorities show up for an unscheduled inspection or control will also vary.
The biggest differences between a safe, high quality gambling license and one that isn’t as good will usually show up in the areas of fair gaming, dispute resolution and the rules and systems for identifying and handling problem gamblers (responsible gambling). If your country of residence has its own gambling authority, playing at casinos that are licensed by them will be the safest option for you. Other international licenses that can be trusted are issued by the Malta Gambling Authority and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. Curacao eGaming is getting better at protecting players whereas licenses from Panama and Costa Rica, for instance, are considered less safe. The worst option is obviously a casino with no license whatsoever.
Our casino experts have tried and tested all aspects of each and every casino, so you can feel confident when signing up.
