Casinos are illegal in most parts of India, however, there are a few states such as Goa and Sikkim where casinos are allowed to operate with little to no restrictions.
Although the casino industry is relatively small in India, it has a huge impact in terms of how these state’s brand themselves to the outside world.
At this point in time, it has become a well-known fact that Goa is a world-class casino destination, and this helps attract tourists from all over the world, which fuels the massive tourism industry that Goa is so dependent on.
Goa is the state with the most liberal gambling laws in India. This is where most of the country’s casinos are situated, and this is why Goa is also often referred to as the Las Vegas of India.
There are a total of 10 casinos located in the small state of Goa, making it one of the places with the highest casino density in the world. 6 of these casinos are land based, while 4 of them are floating casinos that sail on the River Mandovi.
Although these casinos only contribute a share of taxes that equal less than 1% of Goa’s annual state budget, the impact that these casinos have on Goa’s image as a high-class tourist destination cannot be understated.
Tourism is one of the main industries in Goa, and the tourism industry alone contributes more than 15% of the state budget.
Some of the world’s best casino resorts are located in Goa, which attracts tourists from all over the globe. As such, the relatively small casino sector is a major contributing factor to the tourism sector in Goa.
In Sikkim, the story is very similar. This mountainous northern state in India is very much off the beaten track and doesn’t feature on most people’s list of holiday destinations.
So Sikkim had to think out of the box in order to attract tourism. This includes having attractions like the world’s highest golf course, as well as casino resorts!
Online Casinos are on the rise in India
A new type of casino is currently seeing a massive rise in popularity in India, and that is the so-called online casino.
An online casino is a casino that lives on the internet. It doesn’t have a physical location. There are no real dealers or roulette tables. It’s all in cyberspace.
The laws regarding online casinos in India are more permissive in most Indian states compared to physical casinos. Whereas physical casinos are only allowed in 2 Indian states, online casinos can be used in a majority of Indian states.
This is because online casinos are not expressly mentioned in the gambling legislation of most Indian states, creating a legal loophole whereby Indian players can use online casinos without breaking any state or federal laws. So how big is the online casino market in India?
According to credible reports, the number of online gamblers in India will reach 510 million by 2022. This number is based on qualified estimates and not actual statistics, because there is no central authority keeping track of online gambling in India, as there are in many other countries.
If online gambling was to be formally legalised and regulated on a national level, such an institution would no doubt be created in India, and that would allow us to gain more insight into the actual statistics of online gambling users in India.
If online gambling was fully legalised, it would most likely also lead to an increase in the actual number of gamblers. This is natural – as the government removes obstacles and adds more clarity to the online gambling market, more players will feel comfortable enough to gamble online.
If or when online casinos become legal in India, the casino industry in India will expand to previously unseen heights.
Real money online casinos will be allowed to operate within India, which will allow them to set up offices, hire staff, and pay taxes, which is something that will benefit the local economy, just like the physical casinos of Goa and Sikkim are doing.
When that happens is still anyone’s guess, but there’s no doubt that the political scene in India is edging closer to a liberalisation of the gambling market, and when that happens, a whole new industry will open up in India.