Whatever the legal standing of online live dealer gambling in India is or will become, the fact remains that many residents who enjoy gambling are passionate about it. Most will bet on cricket and other favorite sports and many will declare that skill, not chance is the predominant controlling factor in the outcomes. That distinction matters under The Public Gambling Act, even if it was drafted and codified in a time long gone by.

In early 2023, we finally saw federal declarations defining an internet game or online game as “a game that is offered on the internet and is accessible by a computer resource or an intermediary”. [Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)]. We also saw the same ministry state that: “...[an] online real money game [that] does not involve wagering on any outcome,” may be approved under new definitions.

Special bodies called SROs (self-regulating organizations) were also authorized to make the determination. As hard as an edict was to come by, consensus has proven to be even more elusive.

India is not alone…

For those outside of India, it may be good to remember that many other developed nations struggle with a similar conundrum – no federal clarity or unified regulation under gambling law.

While Great Britain has unified gambling regulation, licensing, and enforcement, countries like Canada, Australia, and even the US do not.

In Canada, like India, the states (provinces) and territories have been given autonomy over the matter. Most constituent parts have their own Crown Corporations (private/government partnerships) while only the province of Ontario has created a regulatory framework that allows “free market” competition among gambling providers.

If blackjack requires a strategy to win, is that a skill game like sports prognostication in the eyes of some punters and experts? Like rummy? Like poker?

In Australia, online casino gambling is perfectly “legal” at the federal level and each state is allowed to issue its own licenses and enforce regulation as it sees fit – much like a Governor and Council of Ministers may theoretically do in India.

Unfortunately for Aussie players, none have done so. And while citizens are free to gamble offshore wherever and however they choose, providers, operators, and even advertisers can be sanctioned heavily with civil and criminal penalties if they target Australian citizens.

Americans have an entirely different kettle of fish to deal with. While interstate sportsbetting remains illegal under a 1961 law, the courts have determined that the “Wire Act” only applies to sports, not casino gaming, lotteries, or the like.

But alas, the bureaucracy is stuck with nearly two-decades-old “guidance” generated by the federal justice system, trade commission, and financial services authorities based on the erroneous opinions of past administrations that stated offshore gambling and even interstate gambling online was explicitly illegal. This is still the case even though a Federal Appellate Court has issued a Declaratory Judgement (final opinion and order) that the law only applies to sports betting.

In this respect, India is not alone as she has good company in some of the most enthusiastic gambling countries in the world. Punters simply figure out ways to play, usually with the help of operators who are ‘beyond the law’ rather than above it and the government misses out on capturing revenues from the flight of capital to offshore gambling sites.

A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Step number one – Find a trusted online live dealer operation. It should display a ‘clickable’ license link sending you to a regulator’s official website in Great Britain, Malta, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Curacao, or similar. The license certificate should list the casino by name. Read in-depth and unbiased reviews and stay away from known bad operators by relying on our ranking and rating system.
2. Register an account – In the upper right corner, generally next to “Log In,” select the “Sign Up,” “Register,” or “Join” button.
3. Enter personal information – Follow the on-screen instructions. You will be able to enter the required personal data and choose the right options from the drop-down menus, radio buttons, etc.. Your name, date of birth, city, PIN code, and contact information such as an email address or phone number may all be required fields.
4. Verify your account – Respond quickly to any SMS or email asking you to confirm your account. On rare occasions, you may need to pick up the phone for a vocal confirmation. This is unusual and the sign-up page would most likely alert you to the possibility if required by the particular operator.

Pro Tip: Depending on your marketing preferences and if you use bonuses and other gambling incentives, you might want to opt-in for push marketing. You can always opt out later.

Most live dealer lobbies launched today come wrapped in a beautiful new multi-vertical gambling hub with digital random number generator (RNG) games, sports, virtual sports, and more. However, long-standing Indian gaming sites can also simply “plug in” a live dealer component.

However, when you find a new lobby to play at there will likely be upsides to the choice and downsides compared to an existing live-streaming gaming venue. We’ll sort through some of the pros and cons of each potential choice.

On the downside…

Some lobby areas only provide standard blackjack, roulette, and baccarat, which may not be sufficient for patrons who prefer riskier side bets or a wider variety of games like Andar Bahar, Teen Patti, poker, dice, bingo, or live keno. A new operator may offer one live dealer suite, such as Evolution, or several such as Vivo Gaming, Ezugi, or n2-Live.

It can be hard to determine the reliability of a new site if it hasn’t been launched by known and vetted owners and developers. Management can be as important as ownership and this information is not publicly available, especially in special markets like India, the USA, or Australia.

Depending on how points and rewards are handled, you could stand to lose progress in your current loyalty scheme if you take your business elsewhere.

On the upside…

Introductory loyalty points – Some new lobbies will double or even triple comps for new players to help them get established in the loyalty program.

Better bonuses – Even if you aren’t a high roller, welcome bonuses are often much more attractive than ongoing reloads and daily/weekly offers. While some operators eventually throttle ongoing bonuses for live players, many will allow you to use them when you are just starting with them.

Better game variety – A lobby specifically focused on Indian players is more likely to provide and highlight regional favorites. This can be accomplished by game curation and by providing multiple suites of games. The magic of HTML5 can also allow an operator to ‘read’ your geo-location via IP address and bring Indian games to the top of the lobby, not to mention, provide India-specific bonuses.

Better banking options – Newer operators might be more in tune with mobile banking choices for Indians and provide them more readily. That’s not to say that every cashier will support INR deposits and withdrawals, but their internal payment gateways might do conversions at a less costly rate. Cryptocurrency options might also be more attractive with instant confirmations on deposits and faster withdrawal times.

Land-based casinos are specifically authorized in Goa and Sikkim, and in-person live dealer games are available in Goa but don’t expect these states or any others to authorize online live dealer gaming any time soon. That doesn’t mean that new and existing live dealer lobbies are operating without a license. They are indeed licensed and certified on the international stage and hold a license in another country, either where they are located or at least where their servers are located.

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) licenses and regulates online gaming sites including live dealer lobbies throughout Europe and beyond. Simply look for the MGA seal near the bottom of a website. Click through and check the official registry to see the operation listed.

They can also be licensed and regulated anywhere from Gibraltar to the Isle of Man to Jersey or even Curacao. Again, simply click the license emblem on the bottom of the page to visit the regulator’s official page and view the license yourself.

The fact that the Indian government has not gotten around to liberalizing and unifying a regulatory framework, to include player protections like responsible gambling measures, does not mean that you need to play at an unlicensed and uncertified live gaming site!

When it comes to new online lobbies, many of which are launched by online gambling veterans, the license symbol hotlink will appear. These sites go through the same stringent certification, licensing, and testing processes as their more well-known competitors.

When you visit a new live dealer lobby you can expect to be impressed by the quality of the professional dealers and the variety of games available in most cases. Some, of course, will only offer the classics like poker, roulette, baccarat, and blackjack but we have tools to help you find one with the exact games you are looking for.

New lobbies are more apt to offer cutting-edge games as well – whether it is a new title or twist on an old favorite or whether the provider has simply introduced new and exciting side bets for players who like to spice things up a bit for a chance to win bigger prizes. Another thing a new lobby can offer is live dealer bonuses. Whereas they were quite rare just a few years ago, new operators and new lobbies are more likely to offer incentives to win your custom.

Do New Live Dealer Lobbies for India Support Mobile Gaming?

Mobile internet penetration in India is among the deepest in the world with 53 percent of the population getting on the internet using a mobile phone. That number is expected to grow to nearly 96% by 2040, according to Statista. Cisco tells us that the percentage of mobile users rose from 56% in 2018 to 68% in 2023.

With those data in mind, it’s simply a given that any product or service provider that wants to do business in the country will cater to the people and their ever-expanding reliance on internet devices.

No product or service fits itself better to these trends than live dealer casinos. As fate or market forces would have it, today 99% of all live dealer lobbies are delivered in the HTML5 framework. This simply means the lobbies, games, and all supporting elements are accessible via any web browser with a connection to the internet!

The technology is future-proof because it is simply a markup language and the current standard for the delivery of secure web pages where all of the live dealer gambling occurs. While slots and digital table game developers didn’t keep up with the change from archaic technology like Flash plugins, and struggled to convert, live dealer lobbies were well ahead of the curve and were among the first in the online gambling industry to use the framework.

Security tip: Although all gambling data is delivered and received through the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption security protocol, HTML5local storage is not automatically encrypted. This simply means that anyone who can access your browser can potentially read or modify the data. To keep safe practice digital safety and security, protect your passwords, and don’t share your accounts with anybody and you’ll be just fine.

Nearly all real-money online gaming sites that open nowadays offer a live dealer games component. While the games and platforms are audited, tested, and certified that does not necessarily mean that the hosting casino site can be counted on for fair play when it comes to its terms and conditions, bonus generosity, easy and safe funds transfers, and other elements.

The operators you see listed on this page not only partner with the best live dealer lobby providers, they also meet a range of other criteria. You’ll find them rated and ranked on the list with the best of the best at or near the top.

By adding reputable new sites as they become available for play and removing or demoting sites that might not meet our requirements, we keep the list up-to-date and accurate.

Unique tools at your disposal!

You can use some of our unique tools to find precisely what you are looking for in a new live dealer site.

Simply tap the “Filter” button to bring up options such as payment methods, game types, licenses, currencies, supported devices, Native tables, and exclusive tables. Further, you can choose one or more lobby providers such as Evolution, Bombay Live, and n2-Live.

If you find yourself struggling to decide between two operations, you can use our unique casino comparison filter for India. We have analyzed the pertinent data on each of our reviewed casinos and are ready to deliver a detailed analysis for you.

Compare any two operations on our list to contrast and compare the properties by various elements like banking, game selection, cashout time, licenses, mobile gaming quality, and more!

Of course, our suggestions and algorithms cannot possibly account for all of your preferences, so reading reviews can also be invaluable. From there, you can always visit the site to get a feel for it and if you decide to register an account (it rarely takes longer than a minute or two), you can enter the online live dealer suite to see if it might feel like “home”.

This might eventually be the only way to truly know if one of the newest online live dealer gambling hubs is a good match for you. The nuances and special touches like lighting, branding, and a dealer dressed in a familiar fashion as well as a native language chat facility might seal the deal and invite you to give it a try. We’ll provide all that we can, but the choice is ultimately yours!

Can I Deposit and Withdraw at a New Live Gaming Site in India?

All of the sites listed on this page provide banking assistance to gamers from India. They can help you get your deposits into the cashier and help you take your winnings home. There are a few that will exclusively accept cryptocurrencies for both deposits and withdrawals, but these are uncommon and simple to spot. Most operators these days support fiat as well as crypto transactions.

It is crucial to only deposit at a trustworthy online platform and to understand any bonus rules if you use such incentives. Pending withdrawal times, processing times, and any fees involved in the cashier process are also important considerations. Some sites offer instant or near-instant cashouts. This is especially true for players who deposit using Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another cryptocurrency as well as for many eWallet transactions.

In order to withdraw your winnings you will need to provide proof of your identity and a few other documents required under KYC rules. KYC stands for “know your customer”.Licensed operators must request this information in order to meet regulatory requirements. It helps to prevent money laundering, credit card fraud, and other potential problems. It also protects you from identity theft or unauthorized use of your financial vehicles and ensures that gamblers are of legal age to participate.

New operators simply have to try harder to attract their player base. The time-honored way for online gaming sites to attract new players is through first deposit incentives. Some will even carry this through from conversion to retention – that means they will continue to offer live dealer bonuses to keep you as a customer.

That’s not to say that all operators will market themselves that way, they may use other incentives like tournaments or even free spins on slot games or reduced wagering requirements on digital table games in an attempt to keep your custom. Some will rely entirely on charm and the fact that most people don’t like change once they have an established routine and a place to call their “gambling home base”.

The bottom line is that a new live dealer lobby is more likely to offer a variety of gaming incentives including match bonuses, lower wagering requirements, higher cashout thresholds, tournaments, leaderboards, and accelerated loyalty tier progression and comps.