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Gambling Laws In India: The Legality Of Horse Betting And Its Implications For Cricket Betting And Online Gambling Applications




Shagoon Varma, New Law College, Bharati Vidyapeeth


ABSTRACT


The legal framework governing gambling in India remains fragmented, outdated, and heavily dependent upon judicial interpretation. While the Public Gambling Act, 1867 prohibits most forms of gambling, courts have repeatedly carved out exceptions for activities categorized as “games of skill”. Horse race betting emerged as one such exception following the landmark judgment in Dr. K.R. Lakshmanan v. State of Tamil Nadu, where the Supreme Court held that betting on horse racing involves substantial skill and analytical judgment.


This principle later influenced judicial treatment of fantasy sports applications such as Dream11, which courts similarly classified as skill- based gaming. The increasing acceptance of online fantasy sports raises larger legal and ethical concerns regarding cricket betting, online gambling applications, and the commercialization of speculative gaming in India.



Indian Journal of Law and Legal Research

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Abbreviation: IJLLR

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ISSN: 2582-8878

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Website: www.ijllr.com

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Accessibility: Open Access

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License: Creative Commons 4.0

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Licensing: ​

 

All research articles published in The Indian Journal of Law and Legal Research are fully open access. i.e. immediately freely available to read, download and share. Articles are published under the terms of a Creative Commons license which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

 

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The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the IJLLR or its members. The designations employed in this publication and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the IJLLR.

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