Guide to Best Online Casinos for Indian Players

South Africa is a popular destination for Indian tourists. While many visit the Rainbow Nation for its safaris and beaches, others are here for another type of fun – casino gambling. As gambling in South Africa is legal, many Indians come to play at the casino resorts at Johannesburg and Cape Town.

But why spend a fortune on flight tickets when you can play the top online casinos South Africa legally on your PC/mobile?!

Here at Playcasino, we focus on online gambling in South Africa. During our extensive reviews of top South Africa online casinos, we found one interesting fact – many of them also welcome Indian players! That is why we decided to create this page to help you find the best India online casino.

Here is why you should trust our opinion – in this online business, reputation is everything. If we suggest a scam site/unreliable casino, our readers would no longer trust us. Therefore, our team of industry veterans and gambling experts take utmost care when reviewing any casino:

• We only recommend reputed and licensed sites
• We fully test all bonuses and promotional offers
• We play with real cash to see the actual real money experience
• We also test the payout speeds and reliability

All top India online casinos offer special bonuses to new players. This is standard practice in a highly competitive industry – the casinos are desperate for your attention. They give bonuses to entice new players and retain existing ones.

And why exactly should you bother about these bonuses? Well, the answer is simple – they give you more chances to place cash bets. And more bets are equal to more chances to win real money! Some of the top India online casino bonuses can give you thousands of rupees worth of cash bets! Some of them even come 100% free!

Before we look at these different types of bonuses, here are some basic features of a casino bonus –

• Only registered players can claim a bonus at an online casino.
• To claim a bonus, you need to perform a specific task – like deposit x amount of money, or create an account, etc.
• You cannot withdraw the bonus money to your bank account – you have to use it to place bets at the casino!
• If you win money with a casino bonus, you can withdraw it after fulfilling certain bonus terms/requirements.
• You can play slots, keno, and bingo games with bonus money – no blackjack, roulette, or video poker is allowed.

Here are the main different bonus types available to Indian players at South Africa online casinos:

Welcome Bonus

Usually, this is the first bonus you will ever claim at an online casino. It is only available to new players who join the casino for the first time. You cannot claim a welcome bonus multiple times at the same casino.

To claim a welcome bonus, you have to make your first cash deposit after registration. Most casinos give a match deposit bonus – for eg, in a 100% match deposit bonus, if you deposit Rs 1000, the casino will match it 100% and add another Rs 1000 to your betting balance!

It is not unusual to find welcome bonuses with matching percentages going as high as 300% or 400% – effectively tripling the betting money you have at your disposal! Casinos want you to have the best time when you join – this is why they give such insane boosts.

Many huge welcome bonus packages also include additional free spins. These are free bets you can use on specific video slot games selected by the casino. Some of the bigger packages are split into multiple components and spread across your first 2, 3, or 4 deposits at the casino.

No Deposit Bonus

At a few sites, you can claim another type of bonus even before making a cash deposit. This type of free promotion is called a no-deposit bonus. It is awarded when you register at the casino and create a player account.

Similar to a welcome bonus, no deposit bonuses are one-time offers. You have to be a new player at the casino to be eligible for this offer. No deposit bonuses are incredibly popular among players as you don’t have to spend a single rupee to claim this type of bonus!

You get two main types of no deposit bonus – a bonus cash chip, or bonus free spins. A no deposit cash bonus gives you a small token amount of betting money, like $10 or Rs 500 in Indian currency.

With a free spin casino no deposit offer, you get anywhere from 10 – 75 free spins on select video slots. Unlike a welcome bonus, the aim of a no deposit bonus is to give you a small taste of real money gambling action. So the casino will only give you a small amount of betting money/free spins.

But there is no doubting the value proposition of a no deposit bonus – without spending a single rupee, you are getting real cash bets at the casino, with the promise of real money wins if you are lucky! What’s there to dislike?!  Scroll down to find an exciting list of the best no deposit bonus casino India offers!

Regular Deposit Bonus/Reloads

Apart from the new player bonuses mentioned above, top online casinos for Indian players also offer recurring bonuses. These are offers you can claim at the casino with a deposit on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.

The size of such bonuses tends to be smaller than a welcome package – typically, the match deposit percentage will range from 25% to 250%. Still, you can get a serious boost to your bankroll with the best reload bonuses. And let’s not forget, you can claim these offers multiple times.

Deposit Free Spins

This type of bonus is aimed squarely at slots players. Casinos often partner with a software provider like Netent or Playtech for such offers. When you make the specified deposit, you will get x number of free spins that are valid on the slots from Netent/Playtech.

Like regular reloads, these free spin bonuses can also be claimed many times at the casino. They can greatly increase your chances of hitting a winning combination on exciting new 3d slots at the casino!

Cashback

Not all casino bonuses are focused on giving you more betting chances. A cashback is a type of consolation bonus from the casino. At the best India online casinos, you can expect a cashback of between 10% – 30%. Such offers can be given on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Here is how a typical weekly cashback offer works – to qualify, you must have made a minimum deposit in the previous week. If you lose that entire deposit while playing (no wins), the casino will return a percentage of that money to your account next week!

VIP/Loyalty Rewards

Casinos like players who make regular deposits and play often at their site. VIP and loyalty rewards are designed to encourage this. Most of these rewards are based on a system or loyalty points, or comp points as they are also called.

The casino will give you comp points whenever you make a cash deposit or place a real money wager. As you collect more points, your VIP rank will improve. At higher ranks, you get bigger bonuses, exclusive offers, and other cool perks.

You can also redeem these comp points in exchange for real cash, or other bonus perks at a designated “shop” available at some casinos. The usual rate of exchange is somewhere around 100 points per 1$.

An online casino is a true technological marvel. In the real world, it takes billions of dollars and years to build a huge casino across acres of land. At such casinos, you can expect the following – hundreds of slot machines, dozens of game tables for blackjack, baccarat, and other 21-style games, poker rooms, roulette tables, and more.

These days, you can enjoy a bigger game selection from the same categories at an online casino! And with an iPhone or Android mobile, you can even carry the “virtual casino” around in your pocket! Let’s take a closer look at some of the online casino games available to Indian players:

Roulette Online Real Money India

Roulette is a very old gambling game that originated in Europe. At first glance, it may seem quite intimidating and complex. But even beginners can start playing and winning with ease – just pick a number and color (red or black) on the spinning wheel and place your bets!

You can play roulette online real money India in two main categories at online casinos – singleplayer roulette, and live casino roulette.

You will find the single-player roulette online games in the “table games” section at a casino. They are proper video games, with 3D graphics for the roulette wheels and software to determine the random results. Popular variants of roulette online real money include European Roulette, French Roulette, etc.

The live casino variant is something much more exciting. Here, you get an authentic casino experience, with real roulette tables, a human dealer, and balls that are governed by real-world physics (no software). This type of online roulette game India is played live, using video streaming. You can place bets and chat with attractive dealers in between rounds.

Poker Online

Online poker is among the fastest-growing gambling games in India. After rummy, it is one of the most commonly played games among Indians online. Professional Indian players who play poker online have also had notable success in the sport in the last decade or so.

If you want to play online competitive poker, you have to actively search for the              Best online poker sites South Africa. They are a separate breed – quite different from online casinos. Although there are exceptions – a handful of online casinos South Africa come with dedicated online poker rooms.

But at the vast majority of online casinos South Africa for Indian players, you cannot play multiplayer poker against other humans. Instead, you can only play casino variants where it is a game between a dealer and the player – Caribbean Stud Poker and Casino Hold Em poker are examples.

Like in roulette, poker games also come in software and real live casino avatars. One has virtual graphics, while the other uses real card decks dealt by a human host. Some poker games from companies like RTG come with progressive jackpots!

Another option if you want to play poker online at a top Indian casino is video poker. This is technically a hybrid game that brings together poker and slots. It has fast-paced action – with poker hands replacing the symbols on the slot reels. Popular variants include Aces and Eights, Joker Poker, and Deuces Wild.

Blackjack Online

Blackjack and other 21-style games dominate the table games and live dealer segments at online casinos. It is a very popular game with a ton of strategy and planning – your aim is to keep your hand value at or below 21, playing against the dealer.

There is another reason why many online casino players love blackjack – it has one of the highest RTP ratings of all casino games. An RTP rating is your “Return to Player” – it tells you the advantage in odds held by the casino against the player. High RTP means low advantage to the casino – you have a better chance of winning money if you play blackjack smart!

Popular variants of Blackjack available at online casinos India sites include European Blackjack, Double Exposure Blackjack, Pontoon, and Match Play 21. You can also pick live dealer variants if you prefer playing against a real human with actual card decks.

Online Slots

To be honest, video slots are the main reason why millions of players visit casinos, both online and offline. It is not difficult to understand why – you don’t need to learn any complicated rules or strategies to play slots. There are no complex math calculations required to win. You place your bets and spin the reels.

And all card games look pretty much the same, beyond a certain point. With slots, you get a ton of cool options. Fan of ancient history? Play slots with Egyptian, Aztec, or Greek themes. Love Vikings or Pirates – they got slots with those themes as well.

They even have officially licensed slots based on popular movies like Jurassic Park, Jumanji, and Terminator at online casinos. Other options include TV series (GoT, Narcos, Vikings) and music bands (Guns & Roses, Sabaton, Annihilator).

With so much creative freedom, companies like Netent, Microgaming, and Betsoft churn out dozens of video slots each year. They come in all shapes and sizes, with unique spinning reels, bonus rounds, and special gameplay mechanics. Many popular slots also come with huge jackpots worth tens of crores of rupees!

Free Online Casino Games Win Real Money No Deposit in India

Playing with a no deposit bonus is the absolute best way to try out online casinos as a new player. We have a constantly updated list of the best India no deposit casinos right here at Playcasino. A  typical no deposit bonus will give a few hundred rupees of up to 50 free spins (some casinos may give you a lot more than that!).

If it is a no deposit free spins bonus, there is no ambiguity – you know exactly which slot you can play with the bonus. Chances are – it will be a popular slot like Book of Dead, Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest, Fire Joker, Fruit Zen, or Wild Wild West – to name a few.

With a cash bonus no deposit, you have to be a bit more careful. Casinos don’t allow you to use the bonus money on certain games – blackjack, roulette, and baccarat are safe examples. They have high player odds of a win – casinos don’t want you to win that easy with a free bonus!

So to be 100% safe, read the casino terms to find out which games to avoid – video slots, keno, bingo, and scratch cards are usually safe options when you want to play and win with real money no deposit bonuses in Indian online casinos.

South Africa introduced a national lottery in the year 2000. It is governed by the National Lottery Commission. Companies can bid to operate the lottery for a specified number of years. The current operator of the lottery is Ithuba – they won the license bidding in 2015.

There are around 8 different lotto games available in South Africa. Most of them follow the same format – you have to pick six numbers to play. If you match all six numbers during the draw, you win the big jackpots. Smaller prizes are given to players who accurately pick 3-4-5 of the six numbers.

Then there is also a Powerball game, where you have to pick five numbers plus one additional “Powerball” number for the grand prize. Other games include Daily Lottos, Sportstakes, and EaziWinscratchcards.

How to Play Lotto Online South Africa

These days, you can play many international lotteries online, even if you are not a citizen of that country. While online lotto South Africa is a legal online lottery, it has some major restrictions when it comes to overseas players:

• You must be above the age of 18
• You must have a valid South African ID card
• You must register at the National Lottery website
• You must have a local South African bank account – ABSA, FNB, Nedbank, etc

As you can see from the above rules, playing legal online lotto South Africa is not possible if you are not a South African citizen. BUT, you can still play and win the South African lotto as a foreigner! Here are the main options to do that:

1. You can buy a lotto ticket when you visit South Africa OR
2. You can buy one online through a concierge service

Here is how a concierge service works – you register and pay for the lottery at the online lotto site. They have agents in South Africa who will buy the ticket on your behalf. If you win, you can fly to South Africa and claim the grand prize with the winning ticket!

If you are an Indian resident, an online lotto website with concierge service is the easiest way to play South African Lotto. And don’t worry if you win the prize and have no passport – you have up to 12 months to go and claim your prize!

Indian Lottery for South African Players

India does not have a National Lottery like South Africa. Instead, individual states are free to set the rules on lotteries and lotto games. Out of the 29 states, 13 have legal lotteries run by the state governments. In the rest of the country, lotteries are illegal.

Unfortunately, Indian state lotteries do not have official online purchase options as of now. If you are a South African player keen on winning an Indian lottery, you have to do one of the following things:

• Visit an Indian state with a lottery – Kerala and Goa have the best lotteries – and buy a ticket yourself
• Or use an online lotto concierge service to get a ticket at your convenience

Clearly, the online concierge service is the best option to buy an Indian lottery. And yes, buying an Indian lottery is a great option because of two reasons:

• The biggest lottery prizes range up to ZAR 19 million!
• Tickets are cheap –costing between ZAR 7 – 50 only (excluding concierge charges)

We have included a list of the best online lotto sites for your convenience. You can buy dozens of international lotteries with absolute safety at these sites – they are trusted names.

Sports betting is like a hidden leviathan in the Indian gambling industry. Since the law forbids all types of sports gambling except horse races, the industry has thrived in the black market in the country. In India, one sport rules the hearts of a billion people – cricket.

Illegal bookies make billions during major tournaments like the cricket world cup and the IPL. But placing bets at such bookmakers is not at all safe, for obvious reasons. With the rise of online casinos and sportsbooks, Indian bettors these days have much safer options.

Plenty of online gambling sites operate licensed sportsbooks from places like Malta, Curacao, and Gibraltar. They accept players from all over the world, including South Africa and India. You can join such top sports betting sites and place bets on dozens of sports and hundreds of live matches.

Some of the top brands also offer the best sports betting apps for mobile betting on iPhones and Android. The following are some of the best online sportsbooks available for Indian players:

• Betway
• 22Bet
• Bet365
• 1xBet

Bet Online Horse Racing

Betting on horses is legal in India. There are nine different race tracks in different parts of the country, run by six prestigious authorities like the Bangalore Turf Club, Royal Calcutta Turf Club, Mysore Race Club, and the Royal Western India Turf Club.

At most of these race clubs, you have to either go to the stalls at the track or at official off-track betting counters to wager on horse races. But there is also a much safer alternative – bet online at the top online Indian sportsbooks like Betway, 22Bet, etc.

At an online sportsbook, you get the luxury of choice. Apart from Indian horse races, you can bet on other races in Australia, England, Japan, South Africa, and the United States. You can place bets on the biggest races in the world, like the Kentucky Derby, Breeder’s Cup, and the Grand National.

Cricket Bet Online

Given that India is a cricket-mad nation, it is a real travesty that the government does not allow legal betting on the sport. There have been numerous scandals related to match-fixing and illegal betting due to this very reason in India.

Illegal bookies are routinely arrested in police raids across the country – if you were unlucky enough to place a bet at these agents, your money is as good as gone forever. You also run the risk of attracting the attention of cops.

Online betting has no such risks – since all the top Indian cricket and sports betting sites are based outside India, the authorities cannot do anything. Also, Indian law does not have any clear provisions that penalize placing bets online.

Sites like 10Cric are marketed specifically towards Indian cricket betting enthusiasts. You can also check out some of the top sport betting apps for Indian players below. They all accept bets on the latest live cricket matches from around the globe – tests, ODIs, and t20!

• Bet365
• Betway
• 10Cric
• 22Bet
• Dafabet

All these sportsbooks offer mobile betting apps for Indian players. They are among the best in terms of fairness, available bet options, bonuses, and overall quality of the mobile app betting experience.  But since sports betting has some regulatory issues in India, there are some complications regarding app downloads.

How to Download Sports Betting Apps India

In a regulated market like the UK, where online sports betting is fully legal, both Google and Apple freely provide app downloads for major betting brands on their Stores. But since India does not have regulated sports betting, this feature is not available. Here is how the situation works on the two different mobile ecosystems:

Android

On the Google Play Store, they do not provide any real money sports betting apps. But since Android is a relatively open platform where users have a lot of control, there are other ways to install trusted mobile betting apps. Here is a rough guideline of how major sportsbooks allow Indian players to use mobile betting apps:

• First, go to your mobile settings and enable “Install from unknown sources”
• Then, just visit any of the popular sportsbooks online using your mobile browser
• Select the mobile “download APK” option for Android on the website
• Download and install the APK file
• You may now use the mobile app to place bets on sports in India!

If for some reason, the sportsbook does not offer an APK download option, you can simply use the website on your mobile browser to place bets. These days, all professional websites are optimized for smooth operation on mobile touchscreens. You should be able to get an app-like experience.

iOS

The situation is a bit different on iPhones – since online betting is not prohibited, many major brands do offer iOS apps. But some of the smaller sportsbooks may not be able to afford the fees and security requirements demanded by Apple. Also, iOS does not allow you to manually download and install apps from websites.

Your iOS mobile betting app experience will be largely luck-based. Some international brands like Bet365 may offer an iOS app – you can download it from the Appstore and use it. But if any sportsbook does not offer an iOS app, you can still use the bookie website on your Safari browser and get a safe and enjoyable online experience.