How to promote gambling in India: 3SNET review

Publication date: 13 Jul 2022

The gambling market of India is one of the most promising, and the pandemic period has opened up new horizons for iGaming providers and developers. Experts predict that from 2021, the annual stable growth of gambling will be 37% and by 2022 will amount to $ 5 billion. The number of players will exceed 630 million by this time.

• According to 2019 data (Google and KPMG), in India gambling websites and mobile applications occupied three quarters of the market.
• Bernstein Research shows that the downturn driven by the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in audience furtherance of 30-40%. These are not casual visitors, but engaged players from India who return to online platforms and spend a long time there.

Gambling Regulation in India

According to the data for 2021 in India, all areas of gambling are subject to control. The gambling market of India is divided into several types:

• gambling
• lotteries
• skill games (rummy*, bridge, poker)
• competitions with prize money (contests with awards).

* Rummy is a popular card game in India. It requires a certain skill, because the drop of cards must be remembered, and the whole game requires considerable skill to hold and discard cards. The probability of winning rummy is the same as a deal in a bridge game.

What laws are in force in India?

• The Basic Law on Public Gambling was passed in 1857 patterned by the laws of contemporary Great Britain`s law.
• In 1998, the regulation of the lottery was adopted, and in 2010, the rules for lottery draws were stipulated.
• Competitions with prizes are governed in accordance with the law on competitions with prizes of 1955. This law, like many others, is in force only in specific states.
• Overall, India’s online sector is regulated in accordance with the Information Technology Act of 2000. However, the concept of “gambling”, “casino” and the principles of the regulation of the Internet of the latter do not exist.

In India, most types of gambling are illegal. At the same time, dexterity games (skills) are allowed, which are regulated by a combination of the norms of the constitution and a set of court decisions. However, individual states of India have the right to make their own rules in the laws in force at the national level. For example, in 2010, in Sikkim, there were debut attempts to legalize online casinos in India. Currently, an online lottery is available in this state, which accepts bets from players from other territories of India, and other areas of gambling in general. The offshore gambling companies are allowed only if online casinos use the local currency – the rupiah – for transactions. Recently, new bills have been emerging suggesting a complete gambling and its advertising ban in India. For example, in the fall of 2020, the authorities of one of the largest states — Andhra Pradesh – announced all gambling and their advertising prohibited. Earlier, in 2017, such a ban was implemented in the state of Telang. And while most states understand the benefits of running casinos, there may be more bans.

Questions of legalization in India: experts ‘ opinion

• According to Jaydeep Chakravartty, commercial director of the development company Ingenuity Gaming, India may seem the reflection of the US regulation, where the market legal framework is structured through the states, and not at the federal or central levels.
• A specialist in the legal regulation of gambling in the Asian market, Jay Site said that the legalization of gambling, which has great potential, and their further regulation at the legal level will eventually replenish the state treasury.

Advantages of operating the online casino in India:

• More relaxed regulation compared to Europe.

Against the background of strict regulation in the European Union, the Indian gambling market offers operators generally more loyal regulation. Online casinos in India are not regulated residents of the country are free to play on any sites.

• A huge and diverse audience

The population of the country is almost 20% of the total population of the planet, India is the leader in the density of the number of young people. At the same time, the country is multicultural and multilingual, open to new technologies and entertainment.

• Widespread Internet penetration

The Government of India has established the Digital India project, which promotes the use of the Internet in the most remote regions. In 2019, the Indian Internet and Mobile Association (IAMAI) reported that due to the rapid development of the Internet in rural areas, the number of Network users in India increased to 627 million people by the end of 2020 it grew to nearly 900 million. It is expected that the implementation of the initiative will bring gambling companies even more users than during the quarantine period.

• Monetary reform

In 2016, the Government of India carried out a monetary reform, removing from circulation the notes of 500 and 1000 rupees (equivalent to 7 and 12 dollars). This led to the fact that the population was almost deprived of small cash. As a result, players left the offline casino, as they could not pay in local currency, and larger amounts were not ready to lose. All the attention has focused on online casinos: for players from India, electronic payments have become much more convenient.

How to work with the target audience from India?

The Republic of India is the second most populous country in the world in South Asia. As of March 2021, more than 1.4 billion people live here. The official languages are Hindi and English.

• Read also: How to conquer the Internet market in India?

The country has a high percentage of active players: more than 820 million people. Of these, 23 million have a financial ability to play online games, and their number will grow steadily due to the increase in the overall standard of living in the country. In India, there is an age limit-you can play at the casino from 18 to 64 years old.

What gambling games are popular in India?

Rummy, various types of lotteries, online poker, fantasy games and quizzes are popular in the country. The popularity of real money games is associated with the launch of the Adda52, Rummy, and Poker platforms. For the next five years, they predict the growth of casinos with a set of popular online card games, as well as virtual poker. At the same time, players are more inclined to platforms that offer options for deposits from online wallets and payment with cryptocurrencies.

Diwali is a festival of lights in India, when people traditionally play games.

Indian authorities have changed the rules on gambling advertising. In June 2022, the Indian government issued a statement recommending that digital and print media “refrain” from publishing advertisements for online betting platforms. In particular, India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting pointed out that the majority of such advertisements highlight illegal activities, so “online and social media, including intermediaries and publishers of online advertisements, are advised not to show such advertisements in India and not to target such advertisements to Indian audiences”.

Interesting facts about gambling in India:

• One of the most widespread religions in the country is Hinduism. It is interesting that within this religion there is no direct ban on games and there is a concept of “karma”. Therefore, any gain is recognized as a reward for good deeds in life, and a loss is a punishment for sins.
• Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, who protects all players. To gain her favor, believers must play various games of chance during the festival of Diwali (the festival of Lights, symbolizing the victory of good over evil).
• One of the attractions of India is the floating casinos in Goa (on the Mandovi River). These are luxury cruise ships that provide the opportunity not only to gamble in India, but also a full range of entertainment services. But all these pleasures are aimed at tourists, the local population can only get on board as a service staff.

These facts can be used to create creatives for online casinos in India!

Some features of affiliate marketing and advertising of online casinos in India

The activities of foreign providers in India are not restricted by the state in any way. Thus, active players can use the services of operators who are located or registered outside the country. For example, Betway has created two live casino games in the theme of “Bollywood Blackjack and Roulette”, in which dealers communicate with customers in Hindi. The platforms also open payment options in local currency on gaming platforms and offer users the Indian version of the site for convenience. Online casinos that are looking for Indian users are ready to cooperate on two models:

• CPA — for the first or total deposit from an active player
• RevShare — the percentage of all losses of the listed player.

Traffic from India

is in the demand of such well-known brands as 1winkbk, 4rabet, Betwinner, LeoVegas, Vavada, PariMatch, Bons Casino. The main problem of the gambling market in India is the lack of legibility and establishment. If a gambling permit is issued at the state level, the conditions can be quite strict. Consequently, for these conditions, operators begin to conduct games illegally. But these are the problems of the Indian authorities. For players and providers, the conditions are excellent: the audience is active and solvent, and there is no control over offshore casinos and no blocking of sites. Send traffic to India as you have time! The 3snet network has prepared the best offers from casinos that are waiting for high-quality traffic from India!

Update from 12 July 2022:

In the Indian state of Gujarat, four people have been arrested by the police for setting up a fake cricket league. The main aim of the scammers was to get Russian players to bet on these matches.

How was it organized?

The detainees bought a small farm in Molipur village (Vadnagar, India), cleared a cricket field. The players hired local labourers, gave them real team uniforms and forced them to pretend to be professional sportsmen. The organizers also set up an electronic scoreboard, several video cameras and hired a specially trained commentator. Simultaneously the sound of real games was broadcast, so that the stadium seemed to be full of fans.

Players from three Russian cities (Tver, Voronezh and Moscow) bet in one of the Telegram channels the group created. Once the necessary number of bets was collected, the information was transmitted via radio to the players, who, in turn, ensured the desired result.

The league matches were broadcast live on YouTube.

The scheme worked for two weeks, and Indian police interrupted the tournament at the quarter-final stage. The organizers of the fake league are believed to have earned $4,000. They are currently searching for the mastermind behind the scam, Asif Mohammed, who ran the process from Russia.