India records significant growth in illegal online gambling

• Illegal gambling is a recurring issue across India, with the sector growing every year
• Some 28% of all betting activities take place with offshore, illegal gambling companies
• The resilience of illegal gambling is threatening the regulated industry

Despite regulations, illegal gambling remains a widely spread issue across India.

Using digital channels to advertise their services, illegal gambling operators continue to attract millions of users, with the black market recording two-digit annual growth every year.

Black-market gambling sector grows by 30% per year

As announced by local media outlets, the illegal gambling sector in India is estimated at approximately $100bn.

This figure points to annual growth of black-market gambling operators of approximately 30%.

Concerningly, some 28% of all betting takes place via gambling operators without the necessary license.

The fight against illegal gambling continues and earlier this summer, police in Hyderabad took down an illegal horse betting ring.

This operation alone involved more than 100 bettors with the black-market betting firm recording transactions of nearly $1m.

However, the fight against black market gambling operators is far from over, considering that in the first half of 2025, police recorded nearly 3,000 cases related to illegal online gambling and scams.

Equally as concerning, illegal gambling companies recorded more visits and revenue during the 2024 cricket IPL season.

Based on recently released data from local media outlets, black market betting companies recorded more than 1.6bn visits from players across India during the cricket IPL season last year.

In contrast, India's four licensed betting operators recorded only 1.2bn visits for the same period.

Illegal betting firms undermine the legal sector and lure customers with attractive offers

The aforementioned figures, combined with the estimated annual growth of the illegal gambling sector, reaffirm the resilience of the black market that continues to pose challenges to the legal industry.

At the same time, players across India are at risk, considering that illegal betting firms do not adhere to the established regulations.

Using aggressive advertisements via digital channels, such as YouTube, and other social media platforms, bad actors can easily reach a lot of potential players.

It's no surprise that offshore betting operators lure customers with better odds, higher bonuses and promotions.

However, customers who use the services of such operators are at risk, considering that those companies do not have to comply with the country's gambling laws.

The recent data comes at a time when India's parliament is considering a proposal that calls for a total ban on online gambling.

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