A plain, dated guide to prediction market legality in India: how the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 banned online money games, why platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi fall inside that ban, and what the penalties are. Information, not legal advice.
Last reviewed 12 June 2026 · Status as of June 2026 · Information, not legal advice
As of June 2026, real money prediction markets are banned in India. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 prohibits online money games and removed the old distinction between games of skill and games of chance, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology moved to block Polymarket and Kalshi as unauthorised offshore platforms. Offering, promoting, or advertising such services can carry imprisonment of up to three years and large fines, so this is a hard prohibition rather than a grey area.
A contract price is an implied probability, not a prediction. In an exchange model there is no house taking the other side, only other participants, and the price moves as they trade.
Whether a market is reachable where you live says nothing about whether it is a sensible place to put money. Read our guides on how the prices work before you treat any number as a forecast.
For an Indian reader the picture is a prohibition. Real money venues are banned, and only tools with no cash stake sit outside the money game definition.
Classified by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology as an unauthorised offshore platform and subject to a blocking order. We do not link you to it for trading from India.
Reported to be in the process of being blocked as an offshore money game platform. It is in any case built for United States residents, not Indian users.
Operates on play money with no cash stake, which is generally outside the online money game definition. It is a forecasting tool, not a real money venue.
A forecasting community with no money at stake, informational rather than a money game.
Availability is indicative and as of June 2026. We describe where each venue stands rather than directing you to open an account, and we mark contested positions as contested. We do not host an open account link for India because the position is not a settled, licensed one.
The relevant authority is the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, which issues blocking orders under the online gaming framework, alongside the Act itself passed in 2025. State gambling laws also remain in the background.
Confirm the live position through official Indian government sources. We never invent a citation, and we do not encourage bypassing a block, which carries legal and financial risk.
Reachable does not mean low risk, and it does not mean licensed. Prediction markets can lose you money, and offshore venues add risk around custody of funds and recourse. Stake only what you can afford to lose, never to chase a loss, and never on borrowed money. If betting is causing you harm, seek support from a qualified local service or counselling helpline in your area.
As of June 2026, real money prediction markets are banned in India. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 prohibits online money games, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology moved to block Polymarket and Kalshi. This is general information, not legal advice.
No. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 removed that distinction for online money games, so a platform cannot argue it is a game of skill to stay outside the ban.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology classified Polymarket as an unauthorised offshore platform and issued a blocking order, with action against Kalshi reported to be in process as of mid 2026. Confirm the current position through official sources.
Reporting on the Act describes imprisonment of up to three years and fines up to one crore rupees for offering, promoting, or advertising prohibited online money games. The reach includes promoters and advertisers.
Tools that take no real money, such as Metaculus and play money platforms like Manifold Markets, generally fall outside the online money game ban because there is no cash stake. They are informational, not a way to trade for money.
The status above reflects the national framework and reporting as we read them on the dates shown. These change, so verify the current rules and your own eligibility before you act.
Status as of June 2026. General information, not legal advice.