Legalization of online gambling in India: from words to deeds

In India, the possibility of legalizing online gambling has been discussed for a long time. This time the report of the country's Legal Commission was a harbinger of the emergence of a new market.

With the exception of several jurisdictions, gambling in India is illegal. Recently, however, more and more experts and representatives of the sector have urged to bring the industry out of the shadows. This is due to the fact that several gambling operators actively use the "gray zone", offering their services in a veiled form.

The Indian Law Commission (LCI) recently recommended in a 150-page report that the authorities legalize online gambling. The ministry considers this necessary, since in practice it is extremely difficult and ineffective to regulate illegal gambling on the Internet. In addition, the current law does not spell out methods for dealing with operators that work outside the law.

LCI also draws the attention of the government to the fact that tax deductions from the gambling business can be directed to public needs.

In recent reports, the Indian government has noted that they are studying LCI reports with great interest.

However, despite the popularity around the gambling theme, it is extremely unlikely that the decision on legalization will be made in the near future. This is explained by the fact that the current government is running out of term for a cadence, and elections are scheduled for May of this year. Experts believe that since the authorities are running for a second term, they will not risk lobbying controversial topics until the election.