With billions made in revenue each year online sports betting is now a major industry around the world. As a sector, it has seen massive growth over the last 10 years as more and more countries allow it within their borders. Some countries, like the UK, have allowed online sports betting for many years. That is not the case elsewhere though with the USA being a great example of a country where sports betting online has only recently been legalised.
When it comes to India, what could the future bring for online sports betting in the country?
Indian government could make it legal
Gambling on most things across India is technically illegal at present. This may sound confusing when you think that many Indians now bet online on sports and it is a buoyant sector within the country. A good illustration is how many Indians will use the guide to cricket at Sportsbet.io before putting some money down on their favourite to win. An important factor is that most online bets in India are placed via foreign betting sites which are not controlled by the country’s law.
A big change on the horizon is that gambling and online sports betting within Indian borders could soon be legalised. As a set of recommendations from an official commission indicated in 2018 the Indian government seems to be seriously looking at introducing legislation to make this happen. While it may not happen overnight, it does seem to mean that online sports betting and gambling, in general, will become legal within India.
More sites to enter the market for Indian players
The knock-on effect of this would be that more betting sites would appear for people to use, either on PCs or via modern smartphones. This would not only give players more choice on where to bet but also help to bring more money into the Indian sports betting market. The first people to take advantage of this could be the large global betting giants who could partner with local Indian online operators to establish a foothold in the country. They are likely to set up dedicated versions of their sites to operate legally within India.
More direct marketing within India
Another possible future direction for online sports betting in the country lies in its marketing. Many think that the larger sports betting firms will put more resources into advertising their services to Indian players in the future. This could be via digital channels or even more traditional offline methods like billboards. Much of this will depend again on any changes to gambling laws and what the Indian government permit in this area.
Continued growth is the end game in India
Even with the current laws in place around gambling in India, placing sports bets online has taken off in recent years. As more people are attracted to it the future of sports betting in the country looks set to follow this upward trajectory. With sports betting online looking set to become a major part of how we spend our leisure time, its popularity in India looks certain to grow as the year’s pass.
