Online gambling India is flourishing as the number of online casino websites such as Happyluke, Jeet Play and LeoVegas in the country continues to grow. And the Indian authorities aren’t happy about it.
The Indian security agency who’ve seen the increase of gambling casino online activities in the country fears that Chinese gambling firms might be using their casino apps to help phish information on their Indian customers.
Despite China bans all gambling casino online activity in its own state, the Indian security agency suspects that China is using gambling firms to spy on its rival nations.
“There are many angles, including clandestinely accessing gamers’ personal information,” Hyderabad informant told one local news agency. “The possibility of gamers’ personal data being exported abroad cannot be ruled out.”
The possibility of spying is hard to ignore after the recent aggressive border skirmishes between two nations where 20 Indian troops were killed over the clash in the Himalayan border area. Reports said that the Indian troops were allegedly beaten to death with sticks and clubs.
Since June this year, the Indian Ministry of Information and Technology has banned several Chinese apps including the popular TikTok, WeChat, and the mobile game PUBG mobile. Early this September, there are already 118 China-based apps banned in the country.
In a news report posted on the BBC website, the government in Delhi commented that the said apps were “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state and public order”.
Online Gambling in India
The country of India is one of the fastest-growing online gambling markets today. Online gambling India continues to grow at a rate of 20% per year and it’s expected that the market could exceed $1 billion by 2021.
While there are considerable numbers of Chinese online casinos operating in India, most of the internet casinos in the country are locally-based companies while others are owned by companies in the UK.
Some of the reputed online casino India includes Happyluke which received a license from the government of the Philippines and owned by Aggregated Fun Inc; Jeetplay casino owned by P24B Malta Ltd which is a company registered in Cyprus; and Leo Vegas which is owned and operated by LeoVegas Gaming and has a prestigious license from Malta Gaming Authority.
These online gambling companies are offering several types of gambling games online such as slot, blackjack, poker, roulette, and many more casino games.
There are many reasons why international casinos target Indian players, but experts see the vague gambling regulation of the country as one of the biggest reasons for the spike in online gambling. Gambling in Indian is prohibited except for lotteries and horse racing. Public Gaming Act of 1867 prohibits running casinos and public gaming house. The penalty for breaking this law results in a fine of rupees 200 or up to 3 months imprisonment.
While selective gambling categories are strictly prohibited, India has still no rules that directly prohibit online gambling activity. The Public Gaming Act of 1867 doesn’t mention anything about Online Casino India.
Maharashtra is the only state in the country that has clear regulations on offline and online gambling. Under the “Bombay Wager Act”, all gambling casino online and offline activities are banned inside the state.
Online casino bonus draws in more Indian players
India online casinos are offering online casino bonuses to attract new Indian customers. The most common online casino bonus is the sign up bonus casino or the welcome bonus. This type of bonus is given to all new players who signed up a casino account. It usually doubles sometimes triple the initial deposit of the Indian players.
The no deposit bonus casino is another famous online casino bonus. Usually, this type of online casino bonus is advertised as free casino money or free credit because that amount can be received without spending any rupees. Moreover, when the players win, the winnings (or part of the winning)can be withdrawn from the casino.