UK betting companies bid for India online gambling license

A number of the biggest betting companies in the UK are bidding to win the online gambling license to operate in India, as reported in The Independent. Betting in India is currently worth in the region of £37 billion, and the big players from the UK are keen to get involved in what could be a highly lucrative market.

In total there are 13 companies bidding for the license in the state of Sikkim. These include William Hill, BetFair, and Bwin, as well as a number of local Indian operators. It is also thought that Ladbrokes and 888 are considering making bids.

The winner will be able to promote its online gambling services in the state, but it will be able to take bets from all over the country. So although Sikkim only has a population of about 600,000, India’s population of 1.2 billion could make this very lucrative. Sikkim will be the first state in India to issue an online gambling license, but if it proves successful then other states could follow its lead.

Under Indian law, any foreign companies bidding for the license have to partner with a local company. It is thought that William Hill will join up with Global Torrent International, and that BetFair will join up with Agilisys Managed Services. Black market betting is worth about $40 billion a year in India, so the first online gambling license could prove a very good deal for any company.


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