How to Start Your Own Sportsbook in India (2026 Guide) + Contact -

India is one of the largest sportsbook opportunities in the world by audience size.
More than one billion people are online, cricket dominates the sports calendar, mobile usage is massive, and historical market estimates show very strong demand for sports betting. Grand View Research estimated India’s sports betting market at US$4.18 billion in 2024, with a projection of US$8.85 billion by 2030.

ℹ️ Grand View Research

At the same time, India’s legal environment changed significantly in 2025 and 2026.
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 introduced a federal prohibition on online money games, including activities involving financial stakes and potential winnings. The related rules came into force on 1 May 2026.

ℹ️ Government information + 1

That means launching a sportsbook connected to India requires more planning than simply choosing a white-label platform and going live.
The market is enormous.
The opportunity is real.
But the structure matters.

1. Is India a Good Market for Sports Betting?

Market size

From a pure demand perspective, India is extremely attractive.
Grand View Research estimated sportsbook revenue in India at approximately US$4.18 billion in 2024, with online betting representing almost 80% of the market at that time. The same research projected the overall sports betting market to reach approximately US$8.85 billion by 2030, representing a CAGR of 13.4%.

ℹ️ Grand View Research

Those forecasts predate the full implementation of India’s new federal online-gaming framework, so they should not be interpreted as a forecast for a newly licensed domestic sportsbook sector.
What they do show clearly is the size of the underlying demand.
India has one of the world’s largest populations of sports fans and one of the strongest potential sportsbook audiences anywhere.

Cricket and betting culture

Cricket is the heart of the Indian sportsbook market.
The Indian Premier League alone creates enormous annual betting interest, while international cricket, ICC tournaments and bilateral series provide continuous sportsbook activity throughout the year. Football is also increasingly important, particularly the Premier League, Champions League, World Cup and major European competitions.
Tennis, badminton, kabaddi, basketball and esports can provide additional sportsbook volume.
A sportsbook designed for Indian players therefore needs more than a generic international event feed.
It needs excellent cricket coverage, strong live betting, competitive odds and a mobile product capable of handling major traffic spikes during important matches.

Internet and mobile penetration

India had approximately 1.03 billion internet users by the end of 2025, according to DataReportal.
The country also had around 1.06 billion active mobile connections, while internet penetration had reached approximately 70%.

ℹ️ DataReportal – Global Digital Insights

That makes India overwhelmingly suited to a mobile-first sportsbook.
The player journey should be built around the phone:
registration, verification, deposits, live betting, withdrawals, promotions and customer support.
Desktop still matters, but mobile should drive the product strategy.

Growth potential

The opportunity behind India is obvious.
You have:
more than a billion internet users;
one of the world’s strongest cricket cultures;
an enormous mobile audience;
established demand for betting products;
and a large technology and affiliate ecosystem.
The challenge is not finding potential customers.
The challenge is finding the right legal and commercial route to serve them.

2. Legal Requirements for Starting a Sportsbook in India

India’s regulatory environment changed significantly with the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025.
The law prohibits online money games involving financial stakes and potential financial gain. It also prohibits advertising and payment facilitation connected to prohibited online money gaming services.

ℹ️ Government information + 1

The 2026 Rules created the Online Gaming Authority of India and established a clearer distinction between prohibited online money games and permitted categories such as esports and online social games.

ℹ️ Government information + 1

What does this mean for a sportsbook?

A conventional sportsbook where customers deposit money and place wagers on sporting events currently falls into a highly restricted area under India’s federal framework.
India therefore does not currently offer the same straightforward domestic licensing route that operators can find in markets such as Brazil.
That does not mean an entrepreneur with an Indian sportsbook project has no options.
It means the structure has to be considered carefully.
Depending on the business model, this may involve:
operating from a properly licensed international jurisdiction;
supplying sportsbook technology or B2B services;
developing sportsbook infrastructure for regulated markets outside India;
creating affiliate or acquisition businesses;
or building sports audiences that can later be monetized through permitted models.
A foreign licence does not automatically provide permission to offer a sportsbook directly to consumers located in India, so the exact target market should be established before launch.

Payments and compliance

Any sportsbook targeting a regulated jurisdiction needs a compliant payment structure, KYC, AML controls and responsible-gambling tools.
If the business has Indian ownership, staff, technology or operational infrastructure but serves another licensed market, the payment and regulatory framework will normally be determined mainly by the jurisdiction where the sportsbook operates.
That distinction can make India very attractive as an operational base even when the consumer-facing sportsbook is licensed elsewhere.

3. What You Need to Launch a Sportsbook

Sportsbook platform

The platform is the foundation of the operation.
A competitive sportsbook should provide:
strong pre-match coverage, live betting, automated trading tools, player management, reporting, KYC integration, payment integrations, bonus controls and affiliate management.
For India-related projects, cricket coverage is particularly important.
The sportsbook should offer deep markets across IPL, international cricket and major domestic and international competitions.

Odds provider

Odds quality can make or break the sportsbook.
You need competitive pricing, stable live feeds and enough market depth to keep users engaged during major events.
For cricket-heavy audiences, generic international sportsbook coverage is not enough.
The provider needs to understand cricket properly.

Payments

Payment strategy depends on the licensed market where the sportsbook operates.
Local payment methods can dramatically increase conversion, while poor deposit or withdrawal experiences can destroy player trust even when the sportsbook product itself is excellent.
The platform should therefore support multiple payment providers and allow the operator to adapt the payment stack as the business expands.

Affiliate system

Affiliate marketing can be particularly valuable for sportsbook acquisition.
Sports communities, cricket websites, influencers, tipsters and local networks can all become effective acquisition channels when used within the applicable advertising rules of the target market.
An integrated affiliate system should allow tracking of registrations, deposits, revenue and commissions without forcing the operator to manage everything manually.

Customer support

India is linguistically diverse.
English can cover a significant part of the target audience, but localization can create a major competitive advantage.
Depending on the audience, Hindi or other regional languages may improve conversion, trust and customer retention.
The same applies to sportsbook content.
Localization should feel natural rather than translated.

4. How Much Does It Cost to Launch a Sportsbook?

There is no single India-specific sportsbook licence fee that defines the project budget under the current regulatory framework.
The cost depends mainly on where and how the sportsbook will operate.
A turnkey sportsbook can significantly reduce initial development costs.
Instead of building a betting engine, wallet, frontend, backend, trading system and affiliate platform from scratch, the operator can use an existing infrastructure and focus more capital on acquisition and growth.
Typical costs may include:
platform setup, sportsbook revenue share, odds and data, payment processing, licensing, compliance, marketing, affiliates and customer support.
The final budget can therefore range from a relatively lean launch using an existing platform to a significantly larger operation with a custom frontend, large marketing budget and multi-market expansion strategy.
The important question is not: “How cheaply can I start?”
It is: “What structure gives the sportsbook enough runway to acquire and retain players?”

5. How We Help You Launch Successfully

VB iGaming looks at a sportsbook as a complete business, not just a betting website.
We start with the project itself:
your budget, target audience, preferred markets, sportsbook model, acquisition plan and expected scale.
From there, we can help identify the right sportsbook platform, odds provider, payment structure, affiliate system and operating model.
For an India-related project, the regulatory route is especially important. That may mean building the sportsbook around a suitable licensed market while still using Indian technology, personnel, affiliate networks or sports expertise where appropriate.
The objective is always the same: build the structure that gives the sportsbook the strongest commercial chance of succeeding.
Different budgets require different launch plans.
A first-time entrepreneur with an existing cricket audience should not receive the same solution as an established company preparing a multi-market sportsbook.
Our role is to help determine which one fits yours.

6. Ready to Launch Your Sportsbook?

India remains one of the most interesting sportsbook audiences in the world.
Its scale, cricket culture, mobile usage and historical betting demand make it impossible to ignore.
The current regulatory environment means the launch structure needs to be considered carefully, but there are still multiple ways to build a sportsbook business connected to India and the wider international market.
If you already have an audience, affiliate network, technology team, investment budget or simply a clear sportsbook idea, we can help you determine the best route forward.

Interested in casino instead? Read our guide to starting an online casino in India.

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Research checked: 22 August 2026. India’s online-gaming rules changed materially in 2025–2026, and any India-facing real-money sportsbook project should obtain current legal advice before launch. The current federal framework prohibits online money games while providing separate treatment for esports and online social games.

ℹ️ Government information + 1