The growing industry of online gambling is gaining prominence across the globe, and there are a lot of countries that place heavy regulations in order to maintain the law, safety and security of these operations. Regulation is typical for most forms of gambling in countries where gambling is legal.
Largely, the gambling industry in India comes under the authority of individual state jurisdictions, and it is illegal in all but four states. The world of online gambling in India can be very tricky, and most of the states in the country are completely against it. Many are calling for the gambling laws in India to move with the times and introduce new, more comprehensive legislation in order to establish more appropriate laws and regulations.
The four states that currently allow gambling are Daman, Goa, Sikkim, and Nagaland. The state of Nagaland has a curious approach to its gambling laws, where any game that is considered a game of chance is outlawed. However, the state does allow games that are associated with skill, such as Blackjack and Poker. Online gambling was made legal in the state of Sikkim back in 2010 and there are plenty of operators that have since made applications for licences so those players in Sikkim can access these services, but the process is slow and has yet to make any real impact.
What are the potential benefits of regulating online casinos?
Just like with other countries, regulating the use of online casino sites in India can potentially introduce a whole host of added benefits. Even though laws in India might strictly prohibit online gambling at the moment, this does not mean that things can change in the future. Introducing appropriate laws that are strictly enforced by the individual states and the government as a whole can really change things.
Ensuring that the states and the government have complete control over the laws and the regulations should help in maintaining fair and safe gambling measures. Taking a note from other countries that have stern regulatory bodies and authorities, it can be made simple to introduce new legislation and licence gambling in the best way possible.
Gamblers in India will typically access sites housed offshore, meaning India is missing out on a lot of potential revenue. This additional revenue could be useful to many public outlets that need extra funding. As previously stated, proper regulation is also an ideal way for making sure that vulnerable individuals are adequately taken care of by the state.
As with a lot of things in the world, gambling can be very addictive and quite detrimental for some people who have trouble with regulating themselves. It is a crucial element that the most vulnerable people are protected and regulation can be a way of ensuring this.
Central Legislation and Games of Skill
Make no mistake, any form of online gambling in India is still outlawed and this does apply to games of skill as well. The public has mixed emotions as to whether or not online gambling should be made legal in India, with some arguing for it and some arguing against it. One thing that could help the industry as a whole is the introduction of proper central legislation to help with appropriate regulation.
There have been plenty of calls for central legislation to be introduced and rigorously implemented so that proper regulation can be thoroughly provided. Having a proper, central piece of legislation from the government could have a lot of benefits for the overall gambling industry and make significant waves in paving the way forward for various operators. Central laws can help states recognise and appropriately classify what constitutes games of skill and can even set out standards for all operators to follow.
Furthermore, introducing central laws will help operators and players alike maintain top safety and security measures to ensure fairness in the community and also protect vulnerable players and perhaps those that should not be accessing gambling sites at all. Having a lack of proper regulation in such a prominent area can mean exposure to illegal activities and unfair situations.
It has not yet been made clear whether or not the government will be introducing any central piece of legislation around games of skill and online gambling in the future. It would seem that only time will tell with this, but continuing to apply pressure can potentially help move things along. As of this moment, the Indian Government is under the impression and belief that any form of online gambling is wrong and has negative impacts on citizens, meaning it does not have any support for these activities.
Are the Indian States Making Headway?
As it has already been mentioned, most laws and regulations already in place come from individual state attitudes and responses. Although it is not yet clear whether central laws will be introduced by the government, a handful of states in India are making some progress. The states of Goa, Daman, Sikkim, and Nagaland have all made promising headway in terms of housing laws and regulations.
It has been reported that there have been murmurings and discussions in the courts regarding the current state of online gambling regulations. Some courts, such as the High Court of Madras, have started to recognise the growing need for appropriate regulation at the hands of the government. The courts could be a good route towards the advancement of introducing a proper framework for regulating these online activities.
Bottom Line
It is safe to say that regulation of all forms of online gambling is something that should at the very least be considered at the top levels of government in India. There can be several significant benefits to having appropriate regulation, although things are still very uncertain in this area and progress still seems to be slow.
If they were to regulate online casino India would be joining many other progressive-thinking countries across the globe. There can be huge economic and social benefits to legalization, not least through Tourism, as can be seen in Goa with their casino boats.
