How to bet on cricket online in India, and what the 2025 law changed about it
Betting on cricket online is not one step but four, and the bet itself is the last of them. Before a slip can be placed there is an account, a check on who you are, and money on the balance. Each stage has its own rules and its own way of going wrong.
Before the first ball
Start with the law, because it changed
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 has applied since 1 May 2026, alongside the Online Gaming Rules, 2026. Its effect is a nationwide ban on online money games. Three things are covered separately: offering such a game, advertising it, and handling the payments for it.
Two features of the Act matter for cricket in particular.
It does not care about skill. For years Indian gaming law turned on whether a game was mostly skill or mostly chance, and cricket betting was argued on both sides of that line. The 2025 Act applies whichever way the argument goes.
It is national. Earlier, the answer depended on which state you asked in. Now there is one rule for the country, with a central authority handling e-sports and social games, which the Act treats differently.
What falls outside it: reading about how betting works, and practice modes where no money is staked. Everything below describes how an account-based sportsbook is built, so you can recognise each step. It is not a claim that placing a real-money bet from India is permitted. It is not.
Before the first ball
Stage 1 — the account
An online sportsbook will ask for:
- a mobile number or email, which becomes the login;
- a password;
- your date of birth, because the minimum age is 18;
- your country and currency.
What to check here. The address in the browser bar should be the one you typed or bookmarked, not one reached from a message. If a page asks for a one-time password before you have asked to sign in, close it.
Before the first ball
Stage 2 — verification
Most books let you open an account without documents and then block withdrawals until you pass a check. The check usually asks for a photo ID and a proof of address, and sometimes a selfie holding the ID.
This is the stage beginners skip and later regret. Money deposited into an unverified account can often be staked but not taken out. If you are ever going to verify, do it before the first deposit, not after the first win.
Before the first ball
Stage 3 — money on the balance
Deposits into rupee accounts are typically offered through UPI, net banking or cards. Three things are worth reading before the first transfer:
- the minimum deposit, printed at the cashier;
- whether a bonus is attached automatically — some attach on deposit unless you decline, and a bonus brings a wagering requirement with it;
- the withdrawal method, which is not always the one you deposited with.
The second point is the expensive one. A welcome pack turns a deposit into a turnover target, and the target is measured in stakes, not in rupees deposited.
Before the first ball
Stage 4 — the slip
Only now does the bet from the step-by-step guide on the home page begin: choose the match, choose the market, read the price, set the stake, check the slip, confirm.
Two things are different online compared with betting on paper.
The price can move while you think. If it changes between tapping an outcome and confirming, the site either asks you to accept the new price or rejects the slip. Read the number again before the final tap.
Settlement is automatic. When the result becomes official, the balance updates without you doing anything. If a result is disputed or a match is shortened, the market's own rules decide — the home page covers the usual ones.
Before the first ball
The order, as a checklist
- I know what the 2025 Act says and that it applies to online money betting nationally.
- The site address is one I typed or saved myself.
- My account is verified before any money goes in.
- I know whether my deposit carries a bonus and what it asks of me.
- I know which withdrawal method this account will use.
- My first slip has a stake I decided before opening the screen.
Before the first ball
Where a beginner's first online bet usually goes wrong
It is rarely the cricket. The failures cluster in three places:
- 1A bonus accepted by default, which then locks the balance behind a turnover the player never meant to reach.
- 2An unverified account, discovered only when trying to withdraw.
- 3A slip on the wrong outcome, confirmed quickly because the price was moving.
None of the three needs any cricket knowledge to avoid. Each needs one screen read slowly.
FAQ
Is online cricket betting legal in India in 2026?
No. The 2025 Online Gaming Act has banned online money games across the country from 1 May 2026, and the ban does not turn on skill or chance.
What documents does an online sportsbook usually ask for?
A photo ID and a proof of address, sometimes a selfie with the ID. Most books let you open an account first and ask for these before your first withdrawal.
Why should I verify before depositing?
Because an unverified balance can often be staked but not withdrawn. Verifying first means the question never arises.
Does a deposit bonus change how a cricket bet pays?
No. The price and the settlement are the same. What changes is what you must stake before the balance can be withdrawn.
