🇮🇳 Betting Companies in India (2026)
A factual index of the betting brands observed serving the India market: licence jurisdictions, corporate owners and current status.
This index is published as market and compliance intelligence for industry professionals, recording which companies operate where, under which licence, and with what status. It contains no ratings, no bonus information, no sign-up links and no play recommendations.
No company holds a licence to offer online betting in India in 2026. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 has banned online money games, whether skill or chance, across India since 1 May 2026. Offshore brands such as Parimatch, Stake, 1xBet and Batery Bet still draw Indian users through mirror sites, but they are unlicensed here, blocked and under investigation, and using them carries real financial and legal risk. Domestic companies such as Dream11 and MPL stopped paid games in August 2025. The only legal gambling left is land-based: casinos in Goa, Sikkim and Daman, state lotteries and on-course horse racing.
How the India market is structured
India's betting market splits into two worlds. The legal one is small and offline: casinos in Goa, Sikkim and Daman, lotteries run by 13 states and on-course horse racing, all regulated by the states. The online one was split between domestic skill-gaming companies (Dream11, MPL, Games24x7, WinZO, Zupee) and offshore sportsbooks licensed in Curaçao and elsewhere.
The Online Gaming Act, 2025 closed both online segments. Domestic companies switched off paid games within days of the Bill passing, while offshore brands kept serving Indian users through mirror domains, apps and Telegram, which is why enforcement now targets them, their promoters and their payment channels.
Operator index
Brands observed serving India users, with licence jurisdiction, corporate owner, launch year and current status. Sort any column; search to filter.
| Brand | Licence | Launched | Status |
|---|
Status reflects the latest verified record for each brand at the last check and is not a statement of any company's legal position.
Legal position
| Party | Maximum imprisonment | Maximum fine |
|---|---|---|
| Offering or facilitating money games (s.5) | 3 years (repeat: 3–5 years) | ₹1 crore (repeat: ₹1–2 crore) |
| Advertising money games (s.6) | 2 years (repeat: up to 3 years) | ₹50 lakh (repeat: up to ₹1 crore) |
| Banks or payment firms processing transactions (s.7) | 3 years | ₹1 crore |
| Ignoring an OGAI direction | None | ₹10 lakh, plus suspension of registration |
Legal summaries for this market are editorial orientation and are being re-verified against primary sources. Take qualified local counsel before making compliance decisions.
Key facts at a glance
| Question | 2026 answer | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Is online betting legal in India? | No. Banned nationwide since 1 May 2026 | Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 and Online Gaming Rules, 2026 |
| How many companies are licensed for online betting? | 0 | No licensing route exists for online money games |
| Who regulates online gaming? | Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI), under MeitY | Online Gaming Rules, 2026 |
| Is the ban being challenged? | Yes, in the Supreme Court. No stay reported as of October 2026 | Supreme Court Observer |
| Maximum penalty for offering betting | 3 years and ₹1 crore (first offence) | Act, sections 5 and 9 |
| Tax on winnings | 30% deducted at source on net winnings, taxed at a flat 30% plus surcharge and cess | Income Tax Department |
| GST on betting | 40%, up from 28% in September 2025 | GST Council |
| Biggest offshore brand by Indian traffic | Parimatch, about 1.2 billion visits in Oct to Dec 2024 | Digital India Foundation |
| Legal gambling that remains | Casinos in Goa, Sikkim and Daman; state lotteries; on-course horse racing | State laws |
Is online betting legal in India in 2026?
No. India moved from a patchwork of state laws to a single national ban on online real-money gaming.
What the Online Gaming Act, 2025 bans
Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (Act No. 32 of 2025) on 21 August 2025, and it received Presidential assent on 22 August 2025. It sorts online games into three groups:
- Online money games: banned. Any game where a user pays or stakes money, or money’s worth, expecting to win money or other enrichment. The Act removes the old skill versus chance distinction, so fantasy sports, rummy, poker and sports betting are treated the same once money is staked.
- E-sports: promoted and registered with the regulator.
- Online social games: permitted when no stake is involved.
The law reaches beyond operators. Section 6 makes advertising a money game an offence, “directly or indirectly”, and section 7 bars banks and payment firms from processing the transactions. That is why affiliates, influencers and payment providers are now in scope.
The Rules came into force on 1 May 2026
MeitY notified the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026 on 22 April 2026, and the Act and Rules took effect together on 1 May 2026. The Rules created the Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI), an attached office of MeitY in New Delhi with six ex-officio members from MeitY, the Home Ministry, Financial Services, Information and Broadcasting, Sports and Legal Affairs. OGAI decides whether a game is a money game, registers e-sports titles and hears complaints that platforms fail to resolve.
The Supreme Court challenge
Challenges filed in the Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka High Courts were transferred to the Supreme Court. The petitioners include Head Digital Works (owner of A23), Clubboom 11 and Bagheera Carrom. A three-judge bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. M. Pancholi directed parties to complete pleadings ahead of final hearing in August 2026. No stay has been reported, so the ban applies while the case continues.
What about state laws?
Gambling has always been a state subject. Before 2025, several states had already banned online real-money games, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh among the first, while others such as Sikkim and Nagaland licensed certain games. The central Act now overrides that split for online play: it is banned in every state. State law still governs land-based gambling:
| Activity | Where it is legal | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Online betting, casino, fantasy or rummy for money | Nowhere in India | Online Gaming Act, 2025 |
| Land-based casinos | Goa, Sikkim, Daman | State gambling and casino laws |
| State lotteries | 13 states, including Kerala, Punjab, Sikkim, West Bengal, Goa, Maharashtra and Nagaland | Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998 |
| Horse race betting | On course, through licensed turf clubs | Treated as a game of skill by the Supreme Court |
| E-sports and social games with no stake | Nationwide | Online Gaming Act, 2025 |
If a page tells you there is no national law against online betting and you only need to check your state, that advice is out of date.
Which betting companies serve Indian users in 2026?
When people say “betting companies in India”, they usually mean one of four very different groups. Mixing them up is the main reason so much published advice reads as if it were written before 2025.
1. Offshore sportsbooks: still reachable, never licensed here
These are the brands most “best betting sites” pages promote. They hold licences in Curaçao or elsewhere, which give them no standing in India, and they reach Indian users through mirror domains, APK downloads and Telegram links. All 30 brands in the operator index above fall in this group. The main ones:
- Parimatch. Cyprus-based and the largest offshore brand by Indian traffic: about 1.2 billion visits from India in October to December 2024. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided 17 locations in eight cities in August 2025 and froze about ₹110 crore.
- Stake. Operated by Medium Rare N.V. and registered in Curaçao. It drew 211 million Indian visits in late 2024, and after the ban India still made up 13.48% of its traffic, second only to Canada. Its main domain is blocked, so it relies on mirrors and influencer marketing.
- 1xBet. Founded in 2007, Curaçao-licensed and Cyprus-registered. India blocked it in 2023, and the ED’s money laundering probe questioned or summoned cricketers including Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina, and actors Sonu Sood and Urvashi Rautela, over endorsements.
- Batery Bet. Third by Indian traffic in late 2024 with 118 million visits. Owner and licence not publicly disclosed.
- Betway and Dafabet. Both named among the 138 betting apps blocked by MeitY in February 2023.
- Fairplay. Registered in Curaçao and run from Dubai, with 88% of its traffic from India. The ED’s April 2025 chargesheet alleges more than ₹4,000 crore was laundered through about 400 dummy bank accounts.
- The Mahadev network. Not one site but a system of “IDs” sold through agents, linked to Skyexchange, Lotus365, Reddy Anna, Laser247, Tiger Exchange and Gold365. In September 2026 the ED told a Raipur court it generated about ₹94,400 crore over ten years and was still running.
- Others marketed to Indian users by affiliate sites in 2026 include Rajabets, Mostbet, Melbet, BC.Game, 22Bet, Fun88, Megapari, 1win, 4rabet and Khelo24Bet. None is licensed in India.
A “licensed” badge on these brands refers to a foreign licence. A Curaçao licence does not permit anyone to serve players in India.
2. Indian real-money gaming companies: the ones most Indians actually mean
Before August 2025, India’s best-known “betting” brands were domestic fantasy, rummy and poker companies, which argued their games were skill, not betting. Industry bodies put the sector’s annual revenue above ₹31,000 crore. The Act removed that defence, and within a day of the Bill passing the major companies switched off paid play:
| Company | Brands | What it did after the Act |
|---|---|---|
| Dream Sports | Dream11 | Stopped cash contests; now free-to-play with non-cash prizes |
| Games24x7 | My11Circle, RummyCircle | Suspended all real-money games |
| Mobile Premier League | MPL | Shut real-money gaming in India, kept overseas business; reported 60% cut to Indian workforce |
| Zupee | Zupee, Ludo Supreme | Dropped paid games, kept free titles; reported 170 layoffs |
| WinZO | WinZO | Withdrew its real-money catalogue of 100+ games |
| Moonshine Technologies (46.07% Nazara) | PokerBaazi | Halted real-money play; Baazi Games reported 200+ layoffs |
| Gameskraft | RummyCulture | Discontinued add-cash and gameplay; reported 120 layoffs |
| Probo | Probo, Team 11 | Stopped opinion trading and fantasy |
| Head Digital Works | A23 | Stopped paid contests; lead petitioner against the Act |
Lumikai estimates India’s real-money gaming segment fell from $2.3 billion in 2024 to $1.3 billion in 2025.
Is Dream11 banned? No. Dream11 still operates, but it can no longer run paid contests. Since August 2025 it has been a free-to-play fantasy app with non-cash prizes, and the same applies to My11Circle, MyTeam11, Howzat and BalleBaazi.
3. Legal, regulated gambling companies
- Casinos. Goa has floating casinos on the Mandovi River and casinos in hotels; Sikkim has Casino Sikkim and Casino Mahjong; Daman also permits casinos. Delta Corp, listed on the NSE and BSE, runs casinos under its Deltin brand and holds three of Goa’s six offshore gaming licences.
- Lotteries. Run by the 13 states that permit them.
- Horse racing. On-course betting through licensed turf clubs such as the Royal Western India Turf Club in Mumbai and the Bangalore Turf Club.
4. Indian betting software (B2B) companies
India also has studios that build sportsbook and casino software for overseas clients, including Innosoft Group, Bettoblock, Hidden Brains Infotech, Concetto Labs, Malgo Technologies, AIS Technolabs, Brainvire Infotech, Techversant Infotech and WagerGeeks. Building for operators licensed abroad is not what the Act targets. Hosting, supplying or processing payments for a product that takes Indian players can fall under its “facilitating” offence.
Who is the biggest betting company in India?
By Indian traffic, Parimatch. India publishes no official market data, so the best evidence is independent traffic research. The Digital India Foundation measured 1.6 billion visits from India to four offshore brands in October to December 2024, using Similarweb data for one India-facing mirror per brand. Apps, APK downloads and VPN traffic are excluded, so the real numbers are higher.
| Rank | Brand | Visits from India (Oct to Dec 2024) | Share of the four |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parimatch | 1,223 million | ~75% |
| 2 | Stake | 211 million | ~13% |
| 3 | Batery Bet | 118 million | ~7% |
| 4 | 1xBet | 79 million | ~5% |
Two thirds of those visits (67%) were direct: bookmarks, apps and Telegram links, not search. The ban has not emptied the market. In October to December 2025, Parimatch and 1xBet mirror sites still drew 228,000 to 300,000 visits a month each, spread across domains that reappear within hours of a block. Lumikai estimates that about one in three former real-money gaming users moved to offshore betting after the ban, and a CUTS International survey in Delhi NCR found offshore platform use rose from 68.3% to 82%.
Globally, the largest gambling company by 2025 revenue is MGM Resorts International ($17.54 billion), followed by Flutter Entertainment ($16.38 billion), owner of Paddy Power, Betfair and FanDuel. Neither is licensed in India. See our ranking of the largest gambling companies in the world.
Which betting apps are banned in India?
- February 2023: on a Home Ministry recommendation, MeitY blocked 138 betting apps and 94 loan apps with foreign links under section 69A of the IT Act. Betway and Dafabet were among the betting apps named.
- 2023 to 2026: 1xBet was blocked in 2023, and blocking continued. By 28 March 2026 MeitY had blocked or acted against 8,376 gambling URLs, more than 4,800 of them after the 2025 Act.
- 1 May 2026: every online money game became illegal to offer, advertise or process payments for, so all real-money betting and gaming apps are effectively banned, domestic or offshore.
No real-money betting app is legally available on Google Play or the App Store in India. Offshore brands distribute sideloaded APK files instead, which is a known malware risk.
Deposits, withdrawals and payments: the risks in 2026
This is the part most betting site rankings leave out, and it is where users lose the most.
Why UPI and bank transfers now carry real risk
UPI is the default way Indians have paid offshore betting sites, and it is the channel the 2025 Act targets. Section 7 makes it an offence for banks and payment firms to process money game transactions, and MeitY has pressed banks and payment companies to cut these flows. When merchant payments are blocked, offshore sites and agents switch to peer-to-peer transfers into individuals’ accounts. Those are often mule accounts: the Fairplay case alone involved about 400 dummy accounts.
| Payment method | Risk to the user in 2026 | Why |
|---|---|---|
| UPI, PhonePe, Google Pay | High | Transfers to personal “collect” accounts can link you to a mule chain; your account can be flagged |
| Wallets | High | Wallet blocks can extend to linked bank accounts |
| Net banking, IMPS, NEFT | High | Accounts can be frozen on a cyber-fraud or money laundering complaint; recovery is slow |
| Debit and credit cards | Medium | Often declined; foreign exchange fees; no reliable chargeback for gambling |
| Crypto | Medium to high | Tax still applies; no recourse if the site disappears |
| Agent “IDs” via WhatsApp or Telegram | Very high | No licence, no company, no protection; the main scam route |
Bank account freezes
If money from a betting site or agent reaches your account and a fraud complaint traces through it, your bank can freeze the funds, or the whole account, while police or the ED investigate. You then have to prove where the money came from. This happens to ordinary users, not only to bookies, and it is the most under-reported risk of offshore betting in India.
The asymmetry is simple: deposits are instant, withdrawals are not. With an operator that has no Indian licence, there is no Indian regulator to complain to and no reliable chargeback.
Tax on betting winnings in India
- Income tax. Winnings from online games are taxed at a flat 30%, plus surcharge and cess, and losses cannot be set off against them. Tax of 30% is deducted at source on net winnings. For winnings up to 31 March 2026 these rules sit in sections 194BA and 115BBJ of the Income-tax Act, 1961, which the Income-tax Act, 2025 replaced from 1 April 2026.
- GST. Betting, casinos, gambling and online money gaming moved into the 40% GST bracket in the September 2025 rate overhaul, up from 28%, charged on the value of the stake.
- If a site paid you without deducting tax, the liability is still yours. Check your Annual Information Statement and report the income.
How to spot an unsafe or fraudulent betting operator
In 2026 no online betting site can pass the first two checks for Indian users, because none is licensed in India. The rest still separate risky operators from outright scams:
- A licence that covers India. Which regulator, which number, and does it permit serving India? A Curaçao licence does not.
- A regulator you can complain to. Without one, you have no recourse.
- A named company. No registered company in the footer is a red flag.
- Payments to a company, not a person. If deposits go to a stranger’s account, stop.
- Withdrawal complaints. Search for patterns of refused or delayed payouts.
- KYC before the first withdrawal. Clear document checks suggest a real business.
- No recruitment by DM. Real operators do not recruit through WhatsApp, SMS or “sure win” tips.
- Responsible gambling tools such as deposit limits and self-exclusion.
- No “guaranteed profit” claims. That phrase is the clearest scam signal.
- No “release fee” to withdraw. Being asked to pay tax or KYC charges to unlock winnings is a second-stage scam.
Red flags of the “ID” model
A large share of Indian betting runs through “IDs”: logins to a panel sold by an agent and funded by UPI or cash, the model behind the Mahadev network. Warning signs are no website or licence page, an agent who keeps changing numbers, deposits to personal accounts, and settlement promises that disappear when you win.
If you have money stuck with a betting site
- Stop depositing and record your balance, bet history and support chats.
- Screenshot every withdrawal request and refusal with timestamps.
- Report it at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930, India’s national cyber fraud helpline. Report early: the faster money is traced, the better the chance of a freeze before it moves.
- If your own account is frozen, ask your bank in writing for the reason and the investigating authority.
- Never pay a “release fee”, “tax” or “KYC charge” to unlock a withdrawal.
Legal recovery from an unlicensed operator is difficult because the activity itself is banned, which is why the risk matters before you deposit, not after.
Betting apps and VPNs
- Sideloaded APKs bypass app store checks and are a known malware route.
- Mirror churn: when a domain is blocked, a new one is advertised within hours, and your account does not always follow.
- VPNs do not change your tax liability, your bank’s exposure or your legal position.
Responsible gambling and where to get help
Betting carries a real risk of financial loss and addiction. If gambling is affecting you or someone close to you, India’s national mental health helpline Tele-MANAS is free and available 24 hours a day on 14416. AASRA runs a 24-hour helpline on +91 98204 66726. Warning signs include chasing losses, borrowing to bet and hiding it from family.
What this means for operators and affiliates
For operators and affiliates, India is closed to real-money products. Section 6 reaches anyone who promotes a money game, including affiliates, media owners and influencers, and the ED’s cases show it looks past operators to celebrities, ad agencies and payment intermediaries. If India sits in your plans:
- Separate Indian traffic in your reporting and stop monetising it with real-money offers.
- Check that your payment providers, KYC vendors and hosting partners carry no Indian exposure through your brand, and take advice from iGaming law firms with Indian practice.
- For South Asian exposure, compare Bangladesh and read whether offshore sports betting is legal by jurisdiction.
How this guide is compiled: sources
Every brand and figure on this page comes from the public sources below, checked on 15 October 2026. No operator paid to be included, and the page carries no affiliate links.
Law and regulation
- Mondaq: Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 analysis
- Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas: new framework for online gaming from 1 May 2026
- iPleaders: Online Gaming Authority of India explained
- Supreme Court Observer: challenge to the Online Gaming Act, 2025
- SiGMA: Supreme Court advances challenge to the ban (Aug 2026)
- States where lotteries are legal
- Income Tax Department: tax on winnings from online games
Traffic and market data
- Digital India Foundation: illegal betting and gambling markets in India (Mar 2025)
- Storyboard18: 7,800 websites blocked, but offshore betting persists (Jan 2026)
- Business Today: Lumikai report on users shifting offshore (Mar 2026)
- Parameter: CUTS International survey data
Blocking and enforcement
- MediaNama: MeitY data, 8,376 gambling URLs blocked (Apr 2026)
- MediaNama: 138 betting apps blocked (Feb 2023)
- Moneylife: ED freezes ₹110 crore in Parimatch case (Aug 2025)
- BOOM: 1xBet case explained (Sep 2025)
- MediaNama: Stake’s influencer marketing in India (May 2025)
- MediaNama: Fairplay laundering chargesheet (Apr 2025)
- Daily Pioneer: Mahadev app still active, ED tells court (Sep 2026)
- Storyboard18: MeitY meets banks and payment firms (Aug 2025)
Indian real-money gaming companies
- PTI via The Week: Dream11, My11Circle, WinZO, PokerBaazi suspend real-money games (Aug 2025)
- Entrackr: Gameskraft, MPL, Probo and Zupee shut real-money operations (Aug 2025)
Brands listed as marketed to Indian users appear in “best betting sites in India” rankings published by Goal.com and LiveScore in October 2026. We do not link to those pages or to any operator.
This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice, and not an inducement to gamble. 18+ only.
Frequently asked questions
Is online betting legal in India in 2026?
How many betting companies are licensed in India?
Are Parimatch, Stake and 1xBet legal in India?
Which is the biggest betting company in India?
Is Dream11 banned in India?
Can I use a VPN to bet in India?
How much tax is paid on betting winnings in India?
What should I do if a betting site will not pay me?
Published for industry information. Not legal advice, and not an inducement to gamble. Verify all regulatory figures against primary sources.