Online Gambling During Lockdown at an All-Time High in India
For centuries, gambling has been a big part of Indian culture. Even so, gambling is illegal in most parts of India. So, for years, underground betting operations have flourished with billions of Rupees exchanging hands. But since the Covid-19 reared its ugly head, online gambling during lockdown has increased tenfold. Indian citizens have had to face a new reality of staying at home. Therefore, many gamblers have switched to playing at live casino sites.
Being stuck at home, can lead to a lot of boredom and frustration. In normal situations, you could sit back and watch some cricket or catch up on your favourite TV shows. But until recently there were no sports events, so there was also no sports betting available. So, to ease the stress, Indian gamblers have been gambling many hours online.
Casino Operators Targeting Indian Gamblers
Thanks to the Corona lockdown, India’s online gambling industry is booming. Today, there are more than 500 million active smartphone users in India. Since all the major sports betting markets aren’t available, gamblers are looking elsewhere to spend their money. Casino operators are flooding social media with casino offers, every hour of the day. Whether you use Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, Twitter, or other social media, you’re sure to run into a gambling-related ad or post.
Until recently, most casinos offered deposits in Indian Rupees but didn’t support local payment methods. With a void needing to be filled, online casinos have quickly set up the right payment processing. This in turn has opened the gateway to a huge potential market. Today casinos offer all of the popular payment methods used by Indian citizens in their daily lives: Paytm, Netbanking, MobiKwik, and PhonePe to name a few. Moreover, operators have set up local numbers for casino support as well as hiring Hindi speakers to cater to their customers.
Games Played While Gambling During Lockdown
Unlike other global gambling markets, the majority of Indian gamblers prefer playing live casino games over slots. So, billions of bets are being placed on live casino and table games. Furthermore, the most popular games are Roulette, Blackjack, Teen Patti, and Andar Bahar.
Online Gambling in India at an All-Time High
One positive has happened while gambling during the lockdown. India’s online gambling market is finally reaching its full potential. The 2nd largest population in the world is currently stuck at home with nothing to do. So, casino game operators are going all-in on the Indian market. And the current lockdown has created prime market conditions at online casinos for the following reasons:
• Indians are bored and on their mobile phones many hours a day.
• Popular mobile payment apps are now supported at online casinos.
• Live casino games are available for Indian gamblers.
• Not a lot of sporting events to bet on, so focus shifts to the casino.
One thing is for sure. Many Indians have discovered how easy it is to access online casinos. So even after lockdown, many gamblers will still return to online gambling. And why not? You can gamble on your mobile devices or computers from anywhere in India. So, could this be the final kickstart that the Indian online gambling industry needed? The Indian parliament has already started discussing the possibility of regulated gambling industry. So, let’s see what the future holds for this buzzing industry.