India’s online gambling market is thriving, which is starting to get a lot of attention from some of the industry’s top players. With a population of over 1.3 billion, it’s the world’s second-most populous country after China.
It’s no wonder, then, that India is so desirable for operators. And it’s not just because of how many people live here.
Indians have a huge interest in sports, especially cricket. The Indian Premier League (IPL), for example, is the most-watched sports league in the world. Popular with spectators both domestically and abroad, its appeal alone is a testimony of just how lucrative sports betting is here.
The number of internet users is also growing across India. Between 2015 and 2018, this grew from 259.88 million people to 483 million. This figure is projected to grow to 666.4 million by 2023. Long an untapped market, the increasing number of users should help to put India on the map for iGaming companies.
Opportunities for affiliates
Both online betting and online casinos enjoy growth in India, making it an interesting market for operators and affiliates alike. We asked Tomesh, Editor-in-Chief of affiliate site MyBetting.in, shared his thoughts about the current state of gambling in India.
“From an affiliate’s perspective, it’s a really fun market to follow closely,” he said. “The online gambling market has seen tremendous growth in the last few years and is consistently on the rise.
“At the same time, it has challenges that differ from more seasoned markets. For example, it’s crucial for affiliates to educate and inform the players about how and where they can play. That goes for both casino and sports betting.”
He continued: “In other established and regulated markets, players typically already have a basic understanding of online betting. So, they’re more interested in bonus offers. The question of gambling being legal or not is another thing you have to inform your visitors about in order to succeed here.”
There is, however, no confusion about India being one of the most attractive markets at the moment. The future looks set to be even brighter.
Tomesh also said: “We are banking on India becoming one of the biggest markets for us in the future, which is fundamentally why we decided to launch MyCasino.in – our second site, which compares online casinos in India. The operators we partner with must, like in any other market, abide to local laws and offer deposit and cash outs in the local currency, the Indian Rupee.”
Regulation
The legality of gambling in India is a grey area at the moment, with current laws dating back to 1867. Therefore, they naturally don’t account for online gambling. While there’s lack of regulation and online gambling is completely prohibited in the state of Maharashtra, its existence is widely-accepted in other parts of the country. This is primarily the case in many unregulated markets, where international operators located outside of India are the best viable alternatives offered to players.
The future of gambling
The largest gambling markets all share something in common. That’s the need for internet access and smartphones, both of which are growing trends in India. With this in mind, the future of gambling in the country is destined to become bigger and more widespread than it already is. This makes it an exciting prospect for anyone within iGaming, whether that be operators or affiliates.
LeadStar Media is an iGaming lead generation company, headquartered in Stockholm. Find out more about them here.
