We explain the legality of betting apps in India with some of our recommendations of the most trustworthy apps
The simple answer to this question is that technically, betting apps are not illegal in India. And here's why.
Laws in India are dictated by the Public Gaming Act of 1867, which prohibits people in India from placing bets at public houses.
However, this is an archaic, 150-year-old law that is now redundant in the digital era.
There are no laws in India that prevent bettors from placing bets online with an operator that is located overseas. All betting apps on this website are digital operators that are not located in India.
Please note: We are not legal experts or lawyers.
We have carefully prepared the information on this page for you to find out about the legality of gambling apps in India. But we also encourage you to do your own research to find about the laws in your states. If you are unsure, check with a licensed legal professional in this industry.
We're here to help you with all the information you need to deem whether a betting app is legal or not.
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It's important to note some of the factors and distinctions when discussing the legality of betting apps in India.
Considering the law in India around betting is governed by a law in 1867, when smartphones were not even invented, gambling online with an overseas operator is not illegal.
The Public Gaming Act of 1867 clearly mentions that if you are an Indian citizen, you cannot bet in public houses in a physical location.
If you do this even now, you will be breaking the law and can be imprisoned or fined. So we recommend don't do this.
However, if you bet online (all our recommendations on Betting Apps India are online operators), with a betting app that accepts payments in INR (to avoid breaking the FEMA law of 1999), you are not in breach of the Public Gaming Act of 1867.
If you are still in doubt, please read the rest of this page as it breaks down various parts of the legality of betting apps in India.
We have carefully prepared this website to give you all the information you need to make educated betting decisions: whether it is to find your next betting app or find out the legality of betting apps in India.
But still, please don't just take our word for this. We encourage you to do your own due diligence, visit Google or any other sources, and we trust that you'll return because we spend our daily work lives to curate the best experience for you: the Indian bettor looking for your next betting app.
There are several betting apps in India that are safe and trustworthy that meet our criteria to determine whether an app can be considered legal.
Our Top 5 Legal Betting Apps in India:
| Company | bonusText | Action |
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Bonus up to ₹1,00,000 | ||
470% up to ₹1,35,000 | ||
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There are multiple aspects to keep in mind about the legality of an operator before we offer them for you to place your bets or making recommendations to our readers. Here are a few of them:
We look at whether the betting app is located in India or outside. If it is based outside, we can deem that it is not illegal to bet on that app.
To avoid breaching the FEMA Act of 1999 (Foreign Exchange Management Act), we look at whether the betting app accepts payment in INR instead of other currencies, like USD or GBP.
We carefully look at whether a betting app has a valid license from an official governing body. This helps us in determining the legitimacy of a betting app.
Laws in India keep changing. We know for now that the notable law in India regarding the legality of betting is based on the Public Gaming Act of 1867. We keep researching the laws to find out what is the predominant law.
Betting laws in India are continually changing but the predominant law is still the Public Gaming Act of 1867. This law bans Indian citizens from betting in public houses. This is still very much illegal in India. If you bet in public houses in India, you can be fined or even imprisoned!
Remember, the government in India is finally in charge of the betting laws, and they have the power to deem this legal or illegal so be sure to check with a lawyer if you have any doubts.
Here is our website mascot Owlie with a quick summation of the law:
In India, there is no central law that governs betting in India. As a result, each individual state in India can decide how they want to approach betting in their state.
This is similar to the USA, where there is no federal law governing betting. Instead, each state decides what is legal and what is not, along with state-wide taxes for each form.
In India, some states have banned all forms of gambling, including games of skill. These states include Telangana, Assam and Andhra Pradesh. If you are from any of these states, we highly recommend you check the prevailing laws with a licensed lawyer.
Depending on your device, you can download legal betting apps on Android and iOS. Here is all the information you need to help you download legal betting apps in India.
If you have an iPhone, downloading a betting app on iOS is slightly trickier. That's because Apple's policies prevent betting apps from directly publishing their app on the App Store.
As a result, you may have to download your iOS app by changing your country in your App Store account to make the app visible to you for download.
You can even download an app shortcut on your phone. This is not technically an app, it's a shortcut to the mobile site on your phone but does the job well if you're looking for an iOS app.
The best legal betting apps vary by sport because they each offer a unique differentiating factor. In this section, we will break those betting apps based on sport.
Cricket is inarguably the most popular betting sport in India, especially for the IPL. Each of these betting apps provide hundreds of betting markets in cricket for almost every match.
1xBet is our choice for the best legal cricket betting app for multiple reasons.
Here are some reasons to consider 1xBet:
✅ Excellent range of cricket betting markets
✅ Accumulator outcomes for cricket
✅ Different versions of the Android app based on your preference
✅ Dedicated section for stats and research for cricket
If you are looking to bet on cricket in a safe and trustworthy way, we highly recommend 1xBet. But if you want more options, feel free to check out more recommendations for cricket betting apps.
Football is the most popular sport in the world, led by the FIFA World Cup, which happens every four years. Even with domestic leagues, such as the English Premier League and the La Liga, betting on football has become quite universal.
We have been impressed by the depth and quality of Stake's football product, right from markets to features.
Here are some reasons to consider Stake:
✅ Nice bet builder for football
✅ Higher odds for football than some other betting apps
✅ Excellent variety of outrights
✅ Live streaming for a majority of football matches
While we trust Stake to provide you with a reliable and safe football betting experience, here are some more football betting apps if you want more options.
The IPL is the biggest carnival in India for three months in the summer. Betting on the IPL has continued to gain traction, and that continues to this date, even in 2025.
If you're looking to bet on the IPL for the 2025 season, may we recommend 22Bet?
Here are some reasons to consider 22Bet:
✅ Multiple unique betting markets for the IPL
✅ Several promotions and bonuses for the IPL
✅ Accumulator boosts (10% extra)
✅ Higher IPL odds than other betting apps
If you're not satisfied with any of these reasons, and are looking for more IPL choices for the 2025 season, check out our IPL betting apps page, which has more information and more recommendations.
Here are the top 5 legal best betting apps in India:
Betting apps are not illegal in India. Gambling laws in India are determined by the Public Gaming Act of 1867, which prohibits people in India from betting in public houses. However, you can bet online with overseas operators that accept payments in INR.
To identify if a betting app is legal or illegal in India, check for the below parameters. This is including but not limited to just these parameters.
To place your first bets, you can follow these steps:
There are multiple ways to download betting apps legally based on your device. If you are using Android, you can download the APK from the official website. If you prefer iOS, you may need to take additional steps, such as change the country of your App Store account to make the app visible.
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