First India Casino License

India's online gambling market is estimated at £37 billion. This explains the heated race to become the first licensed online casino to cater to the local gambling community.

Thirteen companies are bidding for a license from the state of Sikkim, expected to be decided before the end of the year. William Hill, Betfair and Bwin are among the UK companies after the license.

In India, as often is the case in countries around the world, the winning casino operator will be able to accept bets from across the sub-continent, but promote gambling only in the Sikkim, a small state of under a million people.

The licenses operator will need an Indian partner to open shop in the country.

Gambling Today
Legal betting in India is allowed only for horse racing. Betting is popular mostly on cricket matches, but is not done at local casinos or online casinos. Casinos are located only in Sikkim and Goa.