Poll results: Operators unconvinced by India potential

India must regulate more products than just poker for operators to consider it a market with potential, respondents to this week’s eGaming Review poll have said.

Last week eGR reported that India’s Supreme Court is to assess the legality of online card games to determine whether they contravene anti-gambling laws, with local operators arguing that games such as poker require an element of skill and as such should be legalised.

Observers believe there is a good chance that the court could rule in the favour of operators meaning India, with a huge population and growing economy, may soon become a regulated online gambling opportunity worth considering.

But almost half eGR readers ““ just over 47% ““ believe that poker alone is not enough to make India an attractive market for foreign operators and that any move into the jurisdiction would have to be considered a long-term play.

Around a third of respondents dismissed India outright, claiming tax rates and other factors would present hurdles too big for most operators to turn a profit, while just 18% of readers believe India will quickly become a leading market should it regulate online poker.