The Future of Online Sports Betting in India: Trends to Watch in 2025

Online bookmakers continue to grow aggressively year-on-year. Let’s make predictions together about what trends we will see in the coming year.

Online sports betting in India is characterized by rapid growth in market development. The main drivers in the sports betting market are common sports like cricket, soccer, and kabaddi which attract millions of players across the country. The Indian Premier League (IPL) alone attracts millions of bettors who wish to bet on their favourite teams.

The current landscape of online sports betting in India is primarily characterized by a wide range of sports for betting, as well as their popularity in the market. Among the vast selection offered, cricket stands out the most, with the IPL being the main event for Indian bettors, attracting millions of users. However, this is not the only sport that is popular in the betting market. Football is also popular among Indian fans, especially in Goa and West Bengal, where the attention of bettors is attracted not only by international matches but also by local leagues.

The sport of kabaddi also accounts for a significant share of Indian online sports betting due to the Indian cultural aspect and traditional methods of play. Besides, hockey, especially field hockey, has been a huge part of Indian history, where the national teams achieved majestic victories in major international events. Indian sports such as badminton and tennis are also rising steadily, as many Indian athletes are making their names in the world sports arena.

The legal status of sports betting in India began to take shape with the release of the Public Gambling Act of 1867. However, the act mainly focused on land-based gambling and did not consider online betting and the exploitation of international platforms. Thus, the act has led bettors and bookmakers into confusion and uncertainty about the use of the act in modern times. Therefore, despite banning the operation of regular gambling houses, this law cannot provide clear guidance on the legality of gaming and betting for each of the states in India.

Due to the lack of clear regulation of betting in India, individual states have their own laws to regulate gambling and betting. For example, the state of Sikkim initiated the Sikkim Online Gambling (Regulation) Act of 2008, which created the first legal online gambling platform. Subsequently, all operators who have obtained a license are legal and can offer betting and gambling on the platforms. However, this is not the case in all states. A state like Maharashtra has very strict rules that prohibit all forms of gambling, including online sports betting.

The rapidly growing sports betting market suggests that further changes are likely in the regulatory landscape. Such legislative changes may help to establish a certain position for betting in India, taking into account current practices and providing protection for bettors.

There is no denying that the rapid growth of the sports betting industry is fuelled by technology. As the industry grows, new modern online betting platforms appear on the betting market, while the existing ones add new features and capabilities in order to remain competitive in the market and meet the growing needs of bettors.

First of all, the driver of technological progress in betting is mobile technology, which allows users to bet anywhere at any time. Good modern betting platforms offer not only mobile versions of their websites but also mobile applications that allow users to place bets in just a couple of clicks, receive notifications about the results of events, as well as monitor statistics, making betting as comfortable as possible for everyone. In addition, the platforms make regular updates to their applications, improving them according to the interests of users.

In addition, advances in technology also imply a high level of protection of betting platform users’ data as players provide their personal and financial data to bookmakers. To ensure security, legal bookmakers use encryption technologies such as SSL/TLS, which protects information from unauthorized access. The introduction of two-factor authentication adds a layer of protection by requiring login confirmation via a code sent to a cell phone.

Cricket stands out as the most popular and fastest-growing sport for betting in India, which represents the backbone of the entire betting market in the country. The share of cricket betting in India is around 80-90% of all sports betting. This is due to the high interest in this sport, as evidenced by the activity during the IPL and other major events, which is estimated at 340 million Indian bettors.

In addition to a good selection of cricket events, online betting platforms offer a wide range of betting types on this sport: betting on the outcome of the match, the number of runs scored by a particular player, and even the number of wickets that will be scored are available. With the development of mobile technology, cricket betting is becoming even more accessible and attractive to many users, allowing them to bet in live mode and be always up-to-date with push notifications. The current market landscape suggests that cricket will only increase its position as a major betting sport in India in the future.

Despite the popularity of betting on established sports such as cricket, football, and kabaddi, the market is growing, attracting the attention of bettors to other sports as well. Recently, there has been significant growth in eSports betting, which spiked during the pandemic. Now, eSports betting is predicted to grow by 14% annually. The biggest gaming tournaments that attract the attention of users include Dota 2, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike 2.

In addition to eSports, the sports betting market is characterized by the growth of mixed martial arts (MMA) betting. Events such as UFC have attracted the attention of fans around the world, which has led to an increase in betting on the fights.

The growth of the sports betting market implies a growing number of bettors in India, which leads to the need for responsible betting. Online betting platforms are not only trying to maximize the betting experience, but also to protect their users from addiction.

According to the established rules, betting can only be done on legal platforms where the age of the players is checked. In addition, good betting platforms offer the possibility to set spending limits, as well as freeze the account for a period of time in case of suspected addiction.

The future of online sports betting in India looks promising. The betting market has been characterized by rapid growth in recent years, supported by the development of technology, a variety of sports on betting platforms, different types of bets, and good odds. Notably, cricket has long been the top betting sport in India, with eSports starting to make inroads and football and kabaddi betting becoming increasingly popular.

It should also be noted that a transparent and safe betting environment is gradually being organized in India through the implementation of new regulations such as the Sports (Online Gaming and Prevention of Fraud) Bill. However, the imposed 28% tax on goods and services for online gambling may push some bettors towards illegal offshore options, which poses risks for both players and the government. Despite these challenges, the market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.59% through 2027 and is expected to see both an influx of users and the emergence of new online platforms in the market.