India has always had a strong sports culture. In fact, India’s long history of sports is even mentioned in some of our epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata.
These epics include chariot racing, hunting, wrestling, swimming and archery as forms of training and entertainment.
The enthusiasm for sports has remained intact in modern India as well. Indians have always loved playing, practising, spectating, and otherwise interacting with sports in different ways.
One of the most popular ways of engaging with sports in India these days is through sports betting.
Unfortunately, physical sports betting shops are illegal in India and this prevents most Indians from betting on sports. However, there is no mention in the law that prohibits online betting, so long as the online betting site is based outside of India.
Considering that it is now not only possible, but also safe and legal to bet online, many Indians have picked up online betting as a hobby and have found an interesting new way to engage with the sports that they love.
Indian sports enthusiasts place bets on many different sports, including cricket, football, kabaddi, hockey, etc. However, the majority of punters in India bet on the 3 top sports tournaments in India.
Indian Premier League
It is well known that cricket is the most popular sport in india. In fact, 93% of sports viewers in India watch cricket at one point or another over the course of a year. It is therefore also not a surprise that Indians love betting on cricket.
Since the inception of The Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, the popularity of cricket has been elevated to another level. The fact-paced format of the tournament attracts more than 400 million viewers to the IPL alone.
If the IPL is also your favourite sports tournament, you should check out the betting sites which will enable you to bet on the IPL (legally) even if you’re living in India!
These sites also offer welcome bonuses, free live streaming options and lots of varied betting options on IPL matches.
Indian Super League
Football used to be a very obscure and little-popular sport in India. However, since more Indians have been hooked up with satellite sports channels and now also have better access to the internet, football has actually become quite popular in the country.
In the last 5 years, football has grown exponentially and many new football clubs have been established in India. These clubs have gone on to foster world-renowned footballers like Sunil Chettri.
In India, the biggest football tournament is the Indian Super League (ISL).
The Indian Super League is an annual football tournament that attracts football enthusiasts from all over the country (and abroad). The league has surpassed every other football league in the country in terms of media coverage, and now has millions of people following along every season.
There are many popular online betting sites which now offer bets on ISL matches. Punters can place bets for team scores, total goals scored in a match or the winning team.