Is Parimatch legal? Gambling and betting in India are considered to be illegal ever since the country was under British rule. After independence, while the gambling laws have been relaxed in a few states, nothing has changed with regards to betting, and it is still considered illegal. But these days, we come across many betting websites like Parimatch, while surfing online. Here is what we think about it being legal or not.
Is Parimatch legal?
The simple answer is yes, it is legal in India, at least right now.
As mentioned earlier, betting or gambling is considered to be an illegal activity in India. If convicted for gambling or betting, you can face up to 3 months in prison, or a fine of ₹200 under the Public Gambling Act of 1867.
However, this law finds no mention of online gambling or betting, because obviously, such a concept was non-existent when the law was framed. And as there have been no amendments made so far in the law to include online betting, it leaves a big grey area, open to interpretations.
The Information Technology Act of 2000, while not mentioning the words betting or gambling in it, lists out punishments for online crimes, again leaving a grey area of interpretation.
As the current status stands, websites that are hosted on servers located outside India can accept bets from Indian players. Parimatch, being operated from outside India, is technically allowed to accept Indian players without any illegality.
About Parimatch
Parimatch was founded in 1994 in Ukraine and is one of the oldest bookmakers in the CIS region, including Russia. After successfully running betting shops, the company forayed into online bookmaking, and expanded to markets like Tanzania and Cyprus, in addition to Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Belarus.
Is Parimatch legal? We think it is. The company operates under the Curacao Gaming license and counts MMA star Conor McGregor and boxing legend Mike Tyson as their brand ambassadors.
