sir, a few days ago during the india pak match i was facing some net issues.so i decided to download a app just to check the score.
while on the app suddenly few pop ups advertisement came up for showing offers for cricket betting
being a upsc aspirant and as per my knowledge cricket betting and gambling acts are prohibited through out the country,to make sure i texted them and ask the procedure and asked whether its legal or not
they mentioned, its completely legal and started to give a lecture,
since then its striking me is online cricket betting legal in our country and if yes how does the government benefits from it
because they dont deduct any amount as tax as said by him.......
if possible please mention the act through which it can be classified as legal..
thank you very much for your efforts....
As per the new legislation of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, Online cricket betting for real money is illegal across India. So your initial knowledge is correct, and the person who told you that it is legal is misleading you. This act has imposed a complete national ban on all "online money games". They are defined as any game which is played online on the internet, where a user deposits money with the expectation of winning money. So the ad that you saw was for an illegal service.
The next part of your question is the most critical point. As per the fundamental principle of the tax law, tax will still be charged, even if the activities are illegal. The illegality of the source of the income will not exempt it from taxation. The “no tax” claim of the person proves that they are committing two separate crimes: first is the violation of the 2025 Act, and second is tax evasion. As per the Income Tax Act (Sections 115BBJ/194BA), 30% TDS on all the net winnings from any online game is charged, and 28% GST is imposed on the full face value of every bet which is placed.
