The most popular online casino games in India

India’s tremendous potential for the online gambling industry is drawing the attention of many operators, investors, and software and game providers. It’s no surprise that India provides a lot of opportunities, but just like any other emerging market, detailed research is key. We decided to offer some clarity when it comes to popular online casino games in India.

Indian market overview

Gambling is popular throughout Asia, and India is no exception, with a few elements of the market contributing to its growing appeal for operators. The country’s population, already one of the world’s biggest, is growing fast. Add that to rapidly expanding internet connectivity and widespread access to all kinds of devices, and the country’s iGaming prospects start to look very promising.

Lotteries and horse racing are the only two gambling operations that are fully allowed across the whole country. Online gambling is restricted in India, and the operation of land-based establishments is also strictly limited. However, Indian gambling regulations are unclear and uncentralized — each region has its own regulations and attitude towards gambling. Different regions also have different requirements for operators, including those for acquiring a gambling license.

While organizing gambling is restricted, players are not targeted by the law, meaning they may access foreign or offshore casino games if they wish. And the fact that horse racing is the only form of betting that’s available locally gives players an incentive to use foreign-based online casinos and sportsbooks for the rest of the gaming activities they’re interested in. You can read more about the Indian gambling market in this article from Slotegrator.

Demographics in India

On average, India generates $60 billion in revenue per year — and this number is far from its potential peak! The key is population: India is home to 1.3 billion people. According to studies, 80% of the adult population gamble at least once a year, while 700 million are mobile phone users — meaning mobile games have a potential audience of 700 million. The internet is becoming more and more accessible each year, and more and more people are going online with their mobile and desktop devices.

Another interesting fact is that India is a multilingual nation. English and Hindi are the two most popular languages across the country, and the other commonly spoken languages are Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, and Urdu. This is another criteria that can help future operators select an appropriate game provider: They should make sure their content is available in these languages.

The official currency in India is the Indian rupee (INR). It’s important to consider currency when choosing payment solution providers. Players always want to feel safe and comfortable, so platforms should support the currency they use to make deposits and withdrawals.

Popular games and trends in India

Since land-based casinos are legal in Goa, players there have the opportunity to enjoy offline gambling. Table games like poker, baccarat, roulette, and blackjack, as well as such card games as Indian Flush and Indian Rummy, are all popular in casinos in Goa. Since these casino games are familiar to the majority of Indian players, online casino operators should consider providing players with online versions — for example, by offering poker software on their platform. 

Offline and online bingo are quite popular in India, making bingo software very much worth considering. Indians are also very excited about slot machines, with their ease of play and attractive graphics; the possibility of big winnings and jackpots is another bonus. Since slots are only legal in a few areas, Indian players often take to online casinos to find them. Some of the most popular slot games include Steel Man game, The Age of God, Goddess of Wisdom, and Mecca games: Mecca slot and Mecca bingo.

Players in India are enthusiastic about sports. They love following and betting on sports, especially football and racing games. Virtual sports, which are inspired by real events and have increasingly lifelike graphics and animation, are also commonly bet on. In fact, virtual football is one of the most popular types of online gambling in India. The outcome of virtual matches is based on statistics and a set number of potential outcomes, and decided by a Random Number Generator (RNG). Virtual football matches are much shorter than real ones, they are accessible at any time, and thousands of matches can take place across a single day, providing nearly limitless opportunities to bet. You can read more about virtual sports in this article.

Another type of gaming content in high demand in India is live casino. These games simulate a real casino experience, allowing players to enjoy their favourite games online but with a live dealer in a real studio streamed to their laptop or mobile phone. With live casino, people living in regions of India where land-based casinos are restricted or prohibited have a great opportunity to enjoy their favorite games.

How to succeed in the Indian market

To successfully establish and develop an online casino or expand an already running business into the Indian market, operators need to find a way to attract Indian players and keep them entertained — simply put, to give them what they demand.

To better understand what games your Indian players would like the most, we recommend you look to game content providers that have experience with Asian markets and can offer you the best options according to their statistics. Get a list of gaming content providers here to find out what they offer.

Though searching for the right providers is a good idea, we suggest you streamline your development process by cooperating with an aggregator. Having all the options at hand is always a good way to facilitate planning your project, especially when all those options are carefully selected according to your business objectives and the demands of your target market — and are available through a single integration process.

What can Slotegrator do for you?

Slotegrator is an aggregator and online casino software developer with 12 years of successful experience in the industry. Our international team consists of 100+ professionals helping businessmen around the globe develop their iGaming projects. Our experience helps us understand what online casinos actually need at any stage of development, from setup and launch to operation and expansion. These are the solutions we are now able to offer operators:

Our Turnkey solution is a complex online casino platform software package that includes content management, marketing, client management, and reporting tools. It is a perfect choice for operators who wish to have a quality, all-inclusive platform and non-stop support all in one place, saving time for business development instead of wasting it solving technical issues.

When considering launching an online casino or expanding into new markets, you might also need to consider the following aspects:

License

Each jurisdiction has different conditions and applies different requirements. This aspect of operating an online casino is very complex and demands a careful study of the target markets, local and international legislation, tax policies, and many other things. If it seems complicated, don’t worry — we know the ins and outs of several licensing jurisdictions, and that’s why we provide operators with qualified assistance.

Branded platform

Your platform’s design is of crucial importance. Players should not have to look for a way to gamble; they should be provided with an easy-to-use and visually appealing website that will attract their attention. Also, when it comes to marketing, brand awareness is something that will help you retain users.

Game content

The platform must be filled with a diverse and constantly expanding collection of games. Selection of gaming content depends on the target audience you are planning to attract, but no matter what, high-quality games are an absolute must. Slotegrator’s partner network is a list of internationally recognized game providers with years of experience.

Marketing tools

Bonus systems, affiliate programs, cross selling, and other tools and strategies are very helpful in building up the platform’s brand awareness and reputation. In an industry defined by competition and constant, rapid change, each online casino must find a way to grow successfully. We recommend you contact professionals to benefit from their experience, instead of learning from your own trials and errors.