India bans all real-money online gambling under new 2025 bill, hitting operators hard, but players can still access offshore crypto casinos.
India’s online gambling industry has been dealt a decisive blow. On 20 August 2025, the Lok Sabha passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, a law that makes all forms of real-money online gaming illegal.
The law applies to both games of skill and chance, rendering the previous argument over Goods and Services Tax (GST) irrelevant for companies advocating for the tax exemption of skill games.
It now means that any online gambling operators who have invested and were hoping to grow a domestic real money gambling site will need to shut down. It is a devastating blow to the entire industry within the country, but offshore online casino firms are celebrating behind the scenes.
The statements made by the government focus on banning platforms and apps operating within India. Therefore, penalties, fines, imprisonment, and blocking orders coming into effect are targeting B2C companies that operate and provide iGaming services or advertise or act as payment providers to service the industry, whether domestic or overseas.
Is online gambling for players in India illegal?
No. Players in India can gamble online without legal prosecution from the government of India.
There is a ‘Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill’ that bans companies from offering online gambling services to players in India, but the bill is not aimed at players. As such, the new bill targets operators and not individual players.
Many overseas operators are immune to the laws of India and accept players in India as members on their casinos. They offer INR deposit options as well as cryptocurrency.
Crypto is a popular choice because many international and domestic payment services operating in India are banned from transacting with gambling companies. Cryptocurrency is legal in India, and due to the nature of blockchain ecosystems, transactions to and from overseas casinos are private.
Source: We came across this news article in the Economic Times India news publication published on 20 August 2025 – No real money play as Lok Sabha passes bill.
Why Has India Made U-turn and Ban All Real Money Gambling?
The government cited that online gambling is causing more financial fraud, money laundering and gambling addiction issues. They even cited terror financing as one of the reasons, too. However, we do not know where it gets its stats from. We can reasonably assume problem gambling is an issue in the country, as there is little to no regulation, meaning no control over responsible gambling messages and help lines.
It is a huge U-turn, as for years, India operated in a legal grey zone. Past Supreme Court rulings protected so-called games of skill like rummy, poker and fantasy sports, while most state laws prohibit ‘games of chance’ such as sports betting and casino play. With the new rule in place, the divide is now gone in a shock move that none of us here at Casinoplusbonus saw coming.
A complete ban on real-money gaming across the board is a surprise. We understood the ban on games of chance to an extent, but putting poker, rummy, and fantasy sports in the same bracket as online casino sports is not something we saw coming.
Honestly, we don’t see the point in gambling even on skill-based games within India anyway, due to the 30% tax players must pay on winnings, which is one of the highest player-focused gambling taxes globally. Not to mention operators must pay a 28% GST tax.
The Big Question for Casino Players in India is how they access Overseas Casinos
A natural question many players will ask: “What about offshore casinos that accept Indian players?”
- Legally: The bill applies to any real-money gaming offered to users in India, regardless of where the operator is based. That means even overseas casinos are illegally offering Indian residents online gambling services under this law. that doesn’t mean it is illegal for players to sign up to these platforms per se.
- Practically: Many offshore casinos still accept Indian players, and historically, thousands of sites have continued to operate despite local bans. India has already blocked 1,500+ gambling sites since 2022, and enforcement is expected to intensify.
- Risk: Players using offshore sites may still face access restrictions, failed deposits/withdrawals, or even account freezes if authorities target payment gateways.
You can check out some of the casino platforms in India we’ve reviewed here on Casinoplusbonus. We’ve tested these platforms, and have successfully deposited and withdrawn from them. Plus, we also offer player support if you need it as long as you sign up through out platform.
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