India changed its gambling laws completely in 2025, and a lot of the advice you find online is now outdated.
This guide explains the current rules in plain language: what the national law says, what it means for you as a player, and which states have their own stricter rules.
In short: India's national law, the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 (PROGA) (source: MeitY — PROGA 2025 full text (PDF)) , bans offering online money games.
It punishes operators, advertisers and payment providers, but it has no penalty for players.
However, a few states do punish players: Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Always check the rules in your own state.
We are not lawyers, and this page is not legal advice. Laws change fast in this area. This is our honest summary of the situation as of August 2026.
Affiliate disclosure
We are an affiliate review site: we earn some money if you use our links or promo codes. That changes nothing on this page. The legal facts below are the same whether you use our links or not, and we would rather you know them.
What the national law means for you as a player
Under the national law, players face no criminal liability. This is deliberate. Parliament aimed PROGA at gambling sites, advertisers and payment companies, not at the people playing.
So if you live in most of India, no national law punishes you for placing a bet online. The site offering you the bet is breaking Indian law, but you are not.
Keep in mind: this only covers the national law. Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have their own laws. Jump down to section on state laws.
The two layers of gambling law in India
Indian gambling law works on two levels, and you need to know both:
- The national law (PROGA 2025). This bans offering online money games across all of India. It targets the companies, not you as a customer.
- State laws. Gambling is also a state matter. The Supreme Court confirmed in 2026 that states keep the power to ban online gaming and punish players in their own territory.
This split is why the honest answer to "is betting legal in India?" depends on where you live.
What the national law says
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 (PROGA) was passed by Parliament on 21 August 2025 and came into force on 1 May 2026.
It bans all "online money games". That means any online game played for stakes, whether it is sports betting, casino, poker, rummy or fantasy sports.
Skill vs chance no longer matters
For decades, Indian courts separated "games of skill" from "games of chance", and skill games enjoyed protection. PROGA removed that distinction.
In May 2026 the Supreme Court went the same way. It held that staking money on an uncertain outcome is betting, regardless of how much skill is involved. That is why fantasy sports and rummy apps are covered too.
Penalties for operators, advertisers and payment providers
The penalties are aimed entirely at the supply side, not individual customers.
- Offering online money gaming: up to 3 years jail and/or a fine up to ₹1 crore.
- Advertising online money games: up to 2 years jail and/or a fine up to ₹50 lakh.
- Facilitating payments for them: up to 3 years jail and/or a fine up to ₹1 crore.
- Repeat offences: minimum 3 years, up to 5 years, with fines of ₹1 to 2 crore.
The consequence is visible everywhere: gambling sites have pulled Indian adverts, banks block gambling transactions, and operators serve Indian customers from abroad.
States that punish players
Three states have their own laws with penalties for players. The Supreme Court upheld state powers to do this in 2026, so these laws are enforceable. Expand below for details on each:
Other states can add similar laws at any time, and the Supreme Court has confirmed they may. Check your own state's current rules before you bet. That is the single most important action point on this page.
The Supreme Court rulings in 2026
2026 was the year the courts settled most of the open questions, and every ruling went against the gaming industry:
- May 2026: the Court upheld the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka laws criminalising online games played for stakes. Staking money on an uncertain outcome is betting, skill or no skill.
- The Court confirmed that states keep the power to regulate or ban online gaming alongside the national law.
A direct constitutional challenge to PROGA itself was still not fully decided when we last updated this page. As you can read in Supreme Court Observer — challenge to PROGA, the Supreme Court might rule against some of the aspects of this law.
What about the 28% GST on deposits?
The 28% GST (Goods and Services Tax) on deposits is not relevant for you as a player.
GST doesn't apply to offshore operators taking Indian players, because those operators are illegal under PROGA rather than taxed under GST.
Timeline for the GST on gambling:
- Oct 2023: 28% GST imposed on the full face value of deposits, not just the platform's rake. Real-money gaming was still operating at this point.
- 22 Sept 2025: GST 2.0 moved betting, gambling, casinos, lotteries, horse racing and online money gaming into the new 40% "demerit" slab.
- 1 May 2026: PROGA came into force. Online money games banned. Dream11, MPL, PokerBaazi, Zupee and others shut down real-money operations.
- 27 May 2026: Supreme Court upheld the 28% on full deposit value — a ruling about the past, restoring roughly ₹2.5 lakh crore in back-tax demands from the pre-ban period.
Why gambling sites push crypto in India
The PROGA law punishes payment providers that process gambling transactions with up to 3 years in jail. Banks and payment companies therefore block gambling-related INR transfers when they spot them.
This explains two things you may have noticed:
- Deposits to gambling sites in rupees sometimes fail or go through odd third-party channels.
- Offshore gambling sites heavily promote crypto deposits, which are harder for banks to block.
Remember:
Crypto does not make anything more legal. It only moves the transaction out of the banking system. The legal position of the operator, and of you in a state with player penalties, stays exactly the same.
Frequently asked questions
Conclusion
The honest conclusion: India has banned the online gambling industry, but chose not to criminalise most players. Source: PRS India — bill summary
If you live in Tamil Nadu, Telangana or Andhra Pradesh, the law does punish you as a player, and gambling online there is a real legal risk. Everywhere else, the risk sits with the operators and the payment chain.
Our advice is simple. Know your state's law before you do anything, treat crypto workarounds with healthy scepticism, and never bet money you cannot afford to lose.
You can read more about gambling in other markets we cover:
