Undoubtedly, Indians love sports, especially when we talk about cricket. India has a close relationship with this sport, which is why the country hosts one of the largest and most prestigious cricket tournaments in the world—the Indian Premier League.
In addition to sports like cricket, Indians also enjoy gambling. Real money games such as Blackjack, Poker, Baccarat, Rummy, Indian Flush, Teen Patti, and Andar Bahar are just some of the games locals like to play. Of course, many also enjoy betting on sports.
Online gambling in India has seen significant growth over the past few years. It is estimated that when the Indian national cricket team plays an ODI, the betting amount per match can reach around 200 million USD. Annually, the country's people bet an estimated 150 billion USD on cricket matches.
However, while this amount is substantial, the estimate includes bets collected from the underground market as well. Nevertheless, without the illegal market, the Lodha Judicial Committee estimates that the country earns at least 90 billion USD from online gambling activities.
India's Online Betting Figures
Last year, MyBetting India released a report on key statistics of online gambling in the country. According to it, about 370 million Indians will bet on major sports events in the country like the IPL. Approximately 140 million people bet regularly.
They also found that the most popular states for online gambling are Telangana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
"Online betting is an activity carried out across India. However, online betting is usually concentrated in larger urban areas like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Bangalore.
We have also observed a decreasing trend in online betting in the northern and eastern states, as these tend to be more conservative.
By contrast, people in the southern and central states of India are generally more liberal," the report stated. Interestingly, according to the Mumbai Betting Law, Maharashtra prohibits online gambling, but even so, it is estimated that nearly 10% of Indian bettors come from this state. This means many are engaging in illegal gambling activities.
The most popular sport for betting among Indians is cricket. Other popular gambling sports here include horse racing, football, and hockey. Some popular online gambling sites in India are Bet365, Betway, and 1xBet.
Bettors mainly transact with UPI, PhonePe, and NetBanking. They also show that 44.6% of Indian bettors are aged between 18 and 24 years. 32.5% of people are aged between 25 and 34 years. Most of them are male, accounting for 88.4%. Female bettors only make up 11.6% of the betting population.
Why Do People Bet on Sports?
These numbers just show the popularity of online gambling in India. But why are more and more Indians interested in sports betting?
Well, several factors are driving the growth of the gambling industry. An important factor is how convenient it is now to bet on any sports event. This is thanks to online casinos and sports betting, which offer odds for the country's favorite sports events, such as the IPL.
Because of online betting, people can bet anytime and anywhere. They can even do so during the match. Before the popularity of online gambling companies, live betting was always a struggle. Today, anyone can participate in this activity, making the experience of watching sports events even more exciting.
India also has an increasing number of internet users, especially mobile users. It is estimated that India now has over 658 million internet users, which accounts for 47% of the country's population. At the same time, GSMA Intelligence reveals that there are 1.14 billion mobile users, most of whom are online users.
This also helps sports betting companies go all out in promoting their services. Companies like Parimatch offer special bonuses for new players. It doesn't stop there, as they also offer better bonuses when major sports events like the IPL are underway.
In addition to Parimatch, the online gambling company 10CRIC is also worth mentioning. Last year, cricket superstar Chris Gayle signed a two-year partnership with 10CRIC to serve as a brand ambassador. Chris Gayle is a favorite of many due to his vibrant personality. Of course, because of this partnership, many of his fans have started betting on cricket.
