Why India has no licensed online casinos
The Act sorts online games into three groups: e-sports, online social games and online money games. The first two can be recognised and registered. The third, defined as any game played by paying fees or depositing money in the hope of winning more, whether it turns on skill, chance or both, may not be offered at all. An online casino falls in that third group, so no Indian body can register or license one.
The Online Gaming Authority of India, set up by notification on 22 April 2026, decides whether a particular game is an online money game. Under the Rules of 2026 it also keeps a published list of the games it has found to be online money games.
What the states license
Gambling on land is a state matter, and a few states license casinos or gaming in limited forms.
| State | What it licenses | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Goa | Electronic amusement and slot machines in five-star hotels; table games on vessels offshore | Goa Public Gambling Act, 1976, section 13A |
| Sikkim | Casinos in five-star hotels (2 licences); online games and sports gaming on terminals inside the state (2 licences) | Sikkim Casino Games (Control and Tax) Act, 2002; Sikkim Online Gaming (Regulation) Act, 2008 |
| Nagaland | Online games of skill, under a licence | Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act |
Sikkim's online licences come closest to an online casino, but its Directorate of State Lotteries runs them on an intranet whose terminals cannot reach anyone outside Sikkim, and residents of the state have been barred from its casinos since a notification of July 2016.
How to recognise an offshore site
A casino site that takes deposits from India and shows a licence from Curaçao, Anjouan or Kahnawà:ke is an offshore operator. The offshore casinos Indians use hold licences from those three issuers, and each issuer's register shows the number and the company behind it.
Questions
Can a state license an online casino for all of India?
No. A state licence works only inside that state, and since 1 May 2026 the central Act bars online money games across the country.
Is a Goa or Sikkim casino licence valid online?
No. Goa's section 13A covers hotels and offshore vessels, and Sikkim's online gaming runs only on terminals within the state.
Sources
- Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, sections 2, 5 and 8
- Notification S.O. 1994(E) of 22 April 2026, commencement on 1 May 2026
- Notification S.O. 1992(E) of 22 April 2026, Online Gaming Authority of India
- Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026, rule 26
- Sikkim Directorate of State Lotteries
- Goa Public Gambling (Amendment) Bill, 2008, with section 13A in its annexure
- Supreme Court, State of Tamil Nadu v Junglee Games India, May 2026