Poker in India

Gambling is a state subject in India. The Public Gambling Act 1867 and state gambling laws ban gambling and gaming houses but exempt games of 'mere skill', which courts read as games where skill is the dominant factor. Goa and Daman and Diu allow licensed casinos in five-star hotels and on offshore vessels under the Goa, Daman and Diu Public Gambling Act 1976, and Sikkim licenses casinos under its Casino Games (Regulation) Act 2002; Goa's Deltin Royale runs a dedicated poker room and hosts the main live tournament series. High Courts have disagreed on whether poker is a skill game (Karnataka 2013 and Madras 2023 leaned towards skill, Gujarat 2017 refused to treat it as skill), and in May 2026 the Supreme Court held that states may ban betting on games even where skill dominates.^{[4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17]}

• Casinos are permitted only in Goa, Daman and Diu, and Sikkim; no casino currently operates in Daman according to Delta Corp's own property list.
• Goa: casinos on offshore vessels in the Mandovi river and in five-star hotels; minimum age 21 under a July 2026 notification.
• Goa law (Section 13G, 2020) makes entering a casino gaming area without a tourist permit an offence, effectively barring Goa residents; the Bombay High Court at Goa upheld this in October 2021.
• Deltin Royale (Panaji) has India's largest dedicated poker room, with Texas Hold'em and PLO cash games and series such as the Deltin Poker Tournament (DPT) and the IMMORTALS cash festival (22-28 October 2026).
• Karnataka High Court (2013) said a poker club playing poker as a game of skill needed no licence; Gujarat High Court (2017) dismissed a petition to treat poker as skill, so it stays under Gujarat's gambling law.
• Supreme Court, 27 May 2026: states can regulate or prohibit betting and wagering even on skill games, upholding Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala laws on online money gaming.

Age: A July 2026 Goa Home Department notification bars anyone under 21 from casino gaming areas, and Deltin Royale admits only guests aged 21 and over. There is no single national gambling age, because gambling is a state subject.^{[11, 13]}

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 and its Rules took effect on 1 May 2026. They ban all online money games, including skill games such as poker and rummy, and make offering them (up to 3 years and a fine up to Rs 1 crore), advertising them (up to 2 years and Rs 50 lakh) and processing payments for them offences; banks and payment systems may not process such transactions and platforms can be blocked under the IT Act. The penalties target operators, advertisers and payment providers; the Act does not clearly make playing an offence, although state gambling laws may still apply. Challenges by operators are consolidated in the Supreme Court (Head Digital Works v Union of India), which agreed on 5 August 2026 to a final hearing; the Act has not been stayed.^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]}

Licensed online poker

None

Players can be prosecuted

Unclear

Sites blocked

Yes

Advertising ban

Yes

• No licensed real-money online poker exists in India since 1 May 2026; only e-sports and online social games without stakes can be registered.
• The Online Gaming Authority of India (under MeitY) maintains the list of online money games and enforces the Act.
• Advertising or promoting online money games is banned; banks and payment systems may not process payments for them.
• The central government has blocked hundreds of betting and gambling sites, including offshore sites.
• Before the Act, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and other states had their own bans; the Supreme Court upheld them in May 2026.
• Supreme Court challenge pending: bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant; final hearing agreed on 5 August 2026, no ruling yet.

Visa

Citizens of most countries can apply online for an e-Tourist Visa at least 4 days before travel, valid for arrival through designated airports including Goa; it is not valid for protected or restricted areas. Apply only on the official site indianvisaonline.gov.in.

Money

The currency is the Indian rupee (INR). PAN card is required for tournament registration at Deltin Royale, so foreign players should ask the casino in advance how buy-ins and payouts work for non-residents.

Casino Entry

Bring a physical government photo ID (passport for foreigners); minimum age 21. Deltin Royale requires smart casual dress (no shorts, sleeveless tops or flip-flops); Goa residents may be refused entry to gaming areas.

Tax on Winnings

Net winnings from online games are taxed at 30%, and 30% tax is withheld on winnings above INR 10,000 from card games, gambling and betting under the Income Tax Act 2025. GST on casino and online gaming stakes rose from 28% to 40% from 22 September 2025, and the Supreme Court upheld the 28% GST on the full value of bets on 27 May 2026.

The legal answers rest on official sources: laws, regulators, government and courts. News and poker media are marked as secondary sources and are used for the poker scene, not as the only basis of a legal answer.

1. 1.Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026 (explainer) - Press Information Bureau, Government of India, accessed October 28, 2026
2. 2.Challenge to the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 - Supreme Court Observer (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
3. 3.Supreme Court to hear challenges against Online Gaming Act; PIL seeks ban on gambling apps - Telangana Today (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
4. 4.Gambling Law: India (Country Comparative Guides 2026) - Legal 500 / Khaitan & Co (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
5. 5.Supreme Court upholds 28% GST on online gaming: skill vs chance irrelevant when money is staked - Sansa Legal (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
6. 6.GST on Online Gaming in India: From 28% to 40%, Gameskraft and the Post-Prohibition Legal Position - TaxGuru (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
7. 7.Madras HC also holds that online rummy and poker are games of skill - MetaLegal (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
8. 8.Poker legality in India - iPleaders (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
9. 9.Indian state court rejects poker as game of skill argument - Global Gaming Business (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
10. 10.Ban on Goans in casinos upheld - The Goan (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
11. 11.Goa govt bars entry of persons below 21 into casino gaming areas - News On AIR (Prasar Bharati) (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
12. 12.Casinos - Delta Corp Ltd, accessed October 28, 2026
13. 13.Deltin Royale Casino poker guide - SoMuchPoker (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
14. 14.Deltin unveils IMMORTALS 2026, a week of poker, prizes and celebration at Deltin Royale, Goa - ThePrint / ANI (press release) (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
15. 15.Gaming and Entertainment (group overview) - Delta Corp Ltd, accessed October 28, 2026
16. 16.Casino Deltin Denzong Poker Room - World Casino Directory (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
17. 17.The Sikkim Casino Games (Regulation) (Amendment) Act, 2022 - Government of Sikkim (via NLC Bharat), accessed October 28, 2026
18. 18.e-Tourist Visa - High Commission of India, Singapore, accessed October 28, 2026
19. 19.MoHFW and MoD sign MoU for Tele MANAS cell (Tele-MANAS 14416) - Press Information Bureau, Government of India, accessed October 28, 2026
20. 20.Indian Poker Championship goes online with Final Table Series - Sportskeeda (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026