No, casinos are not currently legal in the city of Hyderabad.
The legal situation of casinos and betting venues in Hyderabad is determined by the gambling laws of Telangana, also known as The Telangana Gaming Act, 1974.
According to the law, gambling is absolutely and entirely forbidden within the state of Telangana, which just so happens to include the capital city of Hyderabad.
However, as with most other laws, there are certain exceptions that apply. For example, betting on horse racing at a racing turf is legal in Telangana. This is because horse racing is typically considered a game of skill.
But betting on the outcome of other sports is, for some reason, not considered a game of skill. Don’t ask us why, we didn’t write the law, and no, it doesn’t make any sense at all.
Furthermore, rummy, which is considered a game of skill in most Indian states, is not considered as a game of skill in Telangana, and therefore, cannot be played legally within the state.
In effect, this means that the state of Telangana has some of the most restrictive gambling laws in the country, and if you’re a would-be gambler, you should probably consider moving to a different state, if you want to stay on the right side of the law.
Are online casinos legal in Hyderabad?
Again, the answer is no – even online casinos and other types of betting sites that exist on the internet are not legal in Hyderabad, or the entirety of Telangana.
This is because recent amendments to the Telangana Gaming Act have added cyberspace (also known as “the internet”) as an illegal place to gamble.
This means that any gambling that is done in cyberspace, if performed within the state lines of Telangana, are also illegal, just like real-world gambling in the state.
Will gambling ever be legalised in Hyderabad?
It’s a difficult question to answer, and although you should never say never, it seems unlikely that gambling and casinos will be legalised in Hyderabad in the near future.
Since the formation of the state of Telangana in 2014, the state government has taken a hardline approach to gambling.
In 2017, the Deputy Chief Minister claimed that the state “wants to eliminate gambling in all forms”.
Following this statement, the government amended the gambling laws to include online gambling, thus making it illegal to use online casinos or online betting sites in the state.
Therefore, it can be assumed that the government of Telangana is not in any way interested in legaling or even regulating gambling in order to create jobs or in order to tax the gambling operators – they just want the gambling to go away entirely.
So until a different and more liberal government takes power in Telangana, it is very unlikely that gambling will be legalised in the state.
Where can Telugus go to gamble legally?
Although there are illegal gambling dens in Hyderabad and all of Telangana, these are obviously illegal and can lead to fines of up to Rs. 5,000 and 1 year in prison. Repeat offenders may see these penalties doubled.
Therefore, we strongly advise against gambling within the state limits, as the government and the local police authorities will not look kindly on people who break these laws.
So what should Telugus do if they absolutely want to gamble, and want to do so in a legal way?
The only real solution is to move to, or visit a different state in India.
The most obvious choice here would be to visit Goa for a vacation getaway. After all, the state of Goa with its many magnificent (and legal) casinos is only a 1-hour flight away.
Alternatively, Telugus can drive across the state line to Maharashtra. In the state of Maharashtra, online gambling is not illegal.
However, Telugus should be careful only to use online casinos for real money outside the state of Telangana, and remove all traces of their gambling activities when reentering the state of Telangana in order to avoid any suspicion by the police. #livehyd #hydnews