Gambling Laws in Telangana

Legal Online Casinos in Telangana

What Legal Gambling is available in Telangana?

Legal forms of live gambling in Telangana are few and far between. The only form of gambling you can really do in person is horse racing.

If you do want a little more variety, you can go online. But unfortunately for those living in Telangana, even online gaming is theoretically outlawed in the state.

But while the punishment for running a gambling house in the state might seem extreme, punishment for being a gambler in the Telangana is quite slight.

That’s not to say we advise it though, because unlike many other states, online gambling is officially prohibited. So, you need to be cautious.

The Gambling Laws of Telangana

There are several laws that regulate gaming in the state of Telangana. Overall, the whole country is regulated by the Public Gambling Act of 1867. Under this Act each state may, to some extent, regulate gambling in the state.

Acts that specifically apply in Telangana are the Telangana Gaming Act of 1974/Telangana Gaming (Second Amendment) Act of 2017, the Andhra Pradesh (Telangana Area) Horse Racing Act and the Betting Tax Regulation of 1358-F.

Under these regulations, Telangana has some of the strictest laws in the country. For example the gambling laws of Sikkim and Gujarat are much more liberal.

However, as always, where there is a will, there is a way. But it’s important to know the legal ways to place wagers in your own state.

Hyderabad Casinos

There are no legal brick and mortar casinos in Hyderabad, or the rest of Telangana for that matter. There are also no plans to create any legal casinos in the state.

With a strict clamp down in the state against gambling houses, you might struggle to find a place to place your wagers.

That’s not to say Telangana casinos don’t exits. They just don’t exist within the legal framework. You can play at brick-and-mortar casinos if you really want to, but you could face a small fine of ₹100 if caught.

Alternatively, you can play at Telangana online casinos, but again even this is officially outlawed in the state, so you’ll need to be careful.

Lottery in Telangana

Under the Public Gaming Act of 1867, each individual state, can decide if they want to run a lottery or not. Thirteen states to date have decided to run their own lotteries.

Sadly, if you want to buy Legal lottery tickets in Telangana, you are out of luck.

No stress, though. If the lottery is your game, there are a few ways that you can still play.

You can try travelling to the bordering state of Maharashtra, where lotteries are legal. Although not legal, there are people who cross the border to buy tickets in bulk. So, you can always buy some tickets from these entrepreneurial fellows.

Alternatively, you can buy your tickets at an online lottery like Multilotto.

Sports Betting in Telangana

The only form of sports betting in Hyderabad that is allowed is horseracing. At least if you want to place your bets in person.

Malakpet is run by the Hyderabad Race Club (HRC) and is amongst the biggest centres in the county to allow legal betting.

This form of betting is regulated by The Andhra Pradesh (Telangana Area) Horse Racing and Betting Tax Regulation 1358-F.

Any other form of sports betting in Hyderabad is outlawed, including Telangana cricket betting. You can try online, but even this form of betting is illegal in the state.

Games of Skill

In most states throughout the sub-continent, games of skill are allowed. But being more conservative than most, Telangana outlaws this form of gambling. Along with most others. As we’ve seen already.

Although no one has officially been convicted for these crimes, you might want to be careful when placing real money bets on Rummy or Poker. Most card games in Telangana are pretty much a no-no if you want to place real money bets.

You might want to give it a try online, but Telangana laws even touch on this form of gambling. So, you might be better off going to more liberal neighbouring states to place your bets on the games of your choice.