Rohan MathawanBetting on sports is as old as the sport itself. It is said that spectators watching the famed `Gladiator´ matches in Rome, and the ancient Olympics in Greece, placed bets amongst themselves as to who would win a particular event. The popularity of betting has only increased over the years, so much so that now it is a multi-billion dollar industry across the world.
Although betting is considered to be illegal in India by law, every year, thousands of crores of rupees are bet on cricket matches, be it ODIs, tests, or popular T20 leagues like the IPL. This has been proven time and again by numerous cricket betting and match-fixing scandals unearthed by the authorities. While betting shops are illegal in India, thankfully, online betting is considered to be legal, thanks to the loopholes in current gambling laws. Today, Indians can access many cricket betting sites that are hosted outside India and are legal to play with. Let’s have a look at some of the best cricket betting sites that Indians can currently access.
Betway
Betway is a well-known betting website based in Malta and is owned by the Rosehall Global group. The website is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority to conduct its global betting operations. The brand is associated with the West Indies cricket team, Cricket South Africa, as well as the Mzansi Super League, the popular T20 leagues from South Africa. Also, betway has signed the legendary English cricketer, Kevin Pietersen, as its brand ambassador, underlining its commitment towards cricket.
On betway, one can bet on a huge variety of cricket matches, be it ODIs, T20s, or Test matches. Ashes, the IPL, Big Bash, and ICC events are some of the most popular amongst punters.
Betway accepts deposits in Indian Rupees, which is a boon for Indian punters as they do not have to get currency converted. In addition to popular methods like Neteller and Skrill, Indian players can deposit money using UPI, and Net Banking too.
10cric
This site is designed specifically with Indian players in mind and is licensed by the Curacao eGaming Authority. The websites offer some of the most competitive odds in the market. One can place bets on all popular cricket tournaments, including Big Bash, IPL, T20 World Cup, and various test series.
Being designed with Indian customers in mind, the website has a clean and clutter-free interface and is very easy to use, even for first-time players. When it comes to making deposits and withdrawals, 10cric accepts Indian Rupees in a huge range of options, including e-wallets, credit/debit cards, prepaid cards, and even cryptocurrencies.
10cric offers some of the best promotions to its players, including up to ₹10,000 as a welcome bonus.
Bet365
This bookmaker has been in the business for more than two decades now and boasts of more than 53 million customers worldwide. Bet365 is regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority and is one of the most popular sites for betting on cricket.
One of the biggest drawing features of bet365 is the excellent live stream feature which is available to all its players free of cost. Punters can keep themselves updated with minute by minute action, complete with live statistics and analysis, which is very useful if you are in to live betting.
Bet365 is one of the few bookmakers which allows you to edit your bets once they are placed if you change your mind. You can add or remove selections, and even increase your stake.
Bet365 accepts deposits in Indian rupees, which can be done by the most popular methods, including Indian e-wallet PhonePe and UPI transfers.
Conclusion
Thanks to online cricket betting, more and more punters are now moving away from illegal bookies, thereby getting fairer odds, and a much more transparent, easy, and enjoyable betting experience.
Other than the three of the best options, one can check out many other sports betting websites. It wouldn’t hurt to have multiple accounts on different websites, to make the most out of different odds.