In 2001, Indian government gave the green light to Caravel casino-ship project in Goa, the only one state empowered to accommodate gambling houses. 13 years passed and today India is the 9th largest state in the world in terms of revenue from the gaming industry.
Although lottery and horse racing are the only gambling forms officially allowed here (virtual gambling is prohibited in the country), in reality bookmakers and online casinos have virtually no restrictions. The attempts to modernise gambling legislation stumbled upon the resistance of the ruling parties of India. Meanwhile, local fans of online roulette, blackjack and slot machines are playing for real in offshore websites. Analysts believe that if India doesn’t take steps to regulate the industry, the situation with virtual gambling in the country will remain unchanged.
The pioneer shedding light on the industry
Nearly 2 months ago the world saw the first of its kind publication that represents a comprehensive analysis of the gaming industry in India. The research covers the period of the year of 2012, the author of the manuscript is Alan Meister; in its turn, Nathan Associates Inc. conducted in-depth analysis based on data from his research.
In fact, the report is a Klondike information source for anyone who considers himself an expert in the field of gambling business. The report gives an insight on national and state statistics on the income of brick and mortar and online Indian casinos. The research also describes the industry infrastructure and peculiarities, e.g. the number of ground-based and online casinos, the types and the number of slot machines, their variety, historical perspective, current trends, preferences of players from different states, comparison of gambling services in India with other countries, impact of gambling on the country, external factors and so on.
Mentioned below is the breakdown of interesting statistical facts and trends we’ve found out in the report:
- The income from gambling industry in India has increased by 2% and reached $ 28.1 bn., compared to the year 2011.
- 2012 was a year of unprecedented and a sharp rise in demand for gambling, a noteworthy tendency in the past few years.
- In 2012, the country housed about 346,000 slot machines, 7700 gaming tables, all of which were located in the 468 casinos in the territory of all the 28 states of India.
- Two of the most successful gambling states brought 38% of all profits. Five of the most successful gambling states generated 60% of the profits, and the top 10 – 86%.
- Indian gaming facilities directly or indirectly brought a profit of $91 billion. The industry involved 679,000 employers, the size of their salary equals to $30 billion. The national and state coffer is annually replenished with $9+ bn. amount.
- According to historical tendencies, Indian gaming market is growing slowly and astatically.
The whole industry of gambling entertainment in India generates an income equivalent to only 43% of the income received by United States from its domestic gambling industry.