Direct answer. Gambling laws in India are state subject — every state can make its own rules. Goa, Daman, Sikkim allow regulated casinos and lotteries. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Nagaland (real-money skill restricted) have explicit bans on most online gambling. Other states permit fantasy/skill games but ban games of chance under their adopted Public Gambling Acts. Online satta is illegal in all 28 states regardless. This map shows your state's exact position.
This is the only page you need to figure out what is legal where you live.
Three questions decide everything for any state:
If chance + online + ban-state → triple illegal. If skill + online + permissive state → legal (subject to OGRAI registration from 1 May 2026).
A state can be in multiple buckets (e.g., Goa is in C + D).
| State / UT | Online skill games | Online chance games | Casinos | Lotteries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | ❌ Banned (2020 amendment) | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Arunachal Pradesh | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Not regulated | ✅ State lottery |
| Assam | ⚠️ Restricted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Bihar | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Chhattisgarh | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Delhi | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Goa | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Online illegal | ✅ Licensed casinos | ✅ State lottery |
| Gujarat | ✅ Permitted (post-2022 HC) | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Haryana | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Himachal Pradesh | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Jharkhand | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Karnataka | ⚠️ Litigated; mostly permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Kerala | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ✅ State lottery |
| Madhya Pradesh | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ✅ State lottery |
| Maharashtra | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ✅ State lottery |
| Manipur | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ✅ State lottery |
| Meghalaya | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ✅ State lottery |
| Mizoram | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ✅ State lottery |
| Nagaland | ⚠️ Real-money skill licensed (Nagaland Act 2016) | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ✅ State lottery |
| Odisha | ⚠️ Restricted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Punjab | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ✅ State lottery |
| Rajasthan | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Sikkim | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Online illegal (Sikkim Online Gaming Regulation Act limited) | ✅ Licensed casinos | ✅ State lottery |
| Tamil Nadu | ❌ Banned (2022 Act, 2024 partial restoration) | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Telangana | ❌ Banned (2017 amendment) | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Tripura | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Uttar Pradesh | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| Uttarakhand | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ❌ Banned |
| West Bengal | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Illegal | ❌ Banned | ✅ State lottery |
| Daman & Diu | ✅ Permitted | ❌ Online illegal | ✅ Licensed | ❌ Banned |
Note: This table reflects the position as of April 2026. The Online Gaming Act 2026 (effective 1 May) overlays a central registration requirement on all real-money platforms — state bans are preserved for the states that have them.
Suhana, 22, design student from Chennai, downloaded a fantasy cricket app on her cousin's recommendation during IPL 2025. She added ₹500 via UPI. The app immediately blocked her — her PAN-linked KYC showed Tamil Nadu address; the app's compliance flagged her as a restricted-state user. Her ₹500 was refunded in 14 days; her cousin in Bengaluru kept playing without issue. Suhana later filed an RTI to Tamil Nadu Cyber Cell using AI RTI Drafter asking how many other apps had attempted to onboard TN users; the reply listed 47 apps blocked in 2025 alone. The TN ban is unevenly enforced but the registered apps obey it.
Same product, different state, different legal reality. That is why this map matters.
The hardest cases are skill games — fantasy sports, rummy, poker.
When in doubt, check the registration status of the specific app in official records and then confirm whether your state separately restricts that category of game.
For a simple category list, read Which money game is legal in India?. If you are asking as a player, also read Is online gambling legal in India? and Punishment for online gaming in India.
Q: I live in Tamil Nadu but use a VPN to a Bengaluru server. Am I safe? No. KYC + payment gateway + your PAN-linked address determine your jurisdiction, not your IP. The app can still be liable, and so can you under §14 of the 2026 Act.
Q: Can I play poker for real money in India? Online poker is treated as a skill game in most states (Indian Poker Association v State of Karnataka 2013). Banned in TN, AP, TS. From 1 May 2026, the platform must be OGRAI-registered.
Q: Is online rummy legal? Same as poker — skill in most states; banned in TN, AP, TS. Head Digital Works (Kerala 2021) and Junglee Games (TN 2021) cleared the constitutional position.
Q: I won a state-government lottery. Is that taxable? Yes. Lottery winnings are taxable at 30% flat under §115BB of the Income Tax Act with TDS at the same rate. Same as gaming winnings.
Q: Can I run a private lottery in my state? No. Private lotteries are banned under the Lotteries (Regulation) Act 1998. Only state-government lotteries are permitted (in the states that have them).
Gambling law in India is state-by-state plus a new central overlay from 1 May 2026. Five clean rules:
For any specific app, use the State Gambling Law Tracker before depositing.
Save this PDF. Forward it to family WhatsApp groups whenever someone asks “is XYZ app legal in our state?” — the question comes up in every Indian household.
📄 Download the 1-page PDF summary (~110 KB)
PDF source content (publishing team — convert to A4 PDF; landscape recommended for the table):
## Is gambling legal in your state? (April 2026)
The short rule: Online satta = illegal everywhere. Skill games = legal in most states. Three states ban almost everything online.
❌ Banned states (online real-money gaming): Tamil Nadu · Andhra Pradesh · Telangana
✅ Casinos (in person only): Goa · Daman · Sikkim
✅ State lotteries: Kerala · Punjab · Maharashtra · Goa · Sikkim · Mizoram · Nagaland · Manipur · MP · WB · Arunachal · Meghalaya · Assam
All other states: online skill games legal; online chance games illegal; offline casinos illegal.
From 1 May 2026: every real-money app must be OGRAI-registered. Check at: ograi.gov.in/registered
Whatever your state: winnings = 30% tax (§115BBJ) — even on illegal apps.
Read full state map: righttoinformation.wiki/gambling-laws-state-by-state-india
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RTI Wiki — citizen-first legal content. April 2026. Forward freely.
Written by the RTI Wiki editorial team. Last reviewed 2026-04-28. Statutory positions vary; consult a state lawyer for specific cases.