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Gambling is proliferating throughout the world. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in South Asia.
This regioin is comprised primarily of the nations of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, as well as portions of Afghanistan.
Gambling911.com takes a deep dive into each of these nation's acceptance of gambling in recent times.
Nepal
With a population of 29.6 million, Nepal is a hot bed of online gambling activity.
Despite some efforts to crack down on web gambling, online casinos in Nepal continue to thrive with the market expected to grow at a CAGR of ~10.7% through 2026. This likely has to do with the fact that residents of Nepal cannot gamble in the nation's licensed land-based casinos
Internet gambling enforcement has been met with mixed results.
India
The most populous country in the world, gambling laws are governed at both the federal and state level.
The primary law here is the somewhat outdated Public Gambling Act, 1867, which prohibits the operation of a "common gambling house". State laws, however, have the power to set their own laws and often do.
As it pertains to online gambling, the Information Technology Act of 2000 may be applied in theory, though it does not clearly criminalize the activity.
With limited obstruction up to this point, it's easy to see how internet gambling has exploded in popularity within the nation.
Last month (August 2025), the Indian government passed a landmark bill banning all online games that involve money, which does promise to dampen the industry's growth as the new law seeks to prevent companies from offering real money online gaming, whether based on skill or chance.
The new legislation is not without opposition.
The All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) issed the following statement
“On behalf of the millions of young entrepreneurs, developers, and professionals working in India's sunrise digital skill gaming sector, we write to you with the deepest respect and gravest concern regarding the news reports about the draft Bill that seeks to ban all real money games, including those based on skill. Such a blanket prohibition would strike a death knell for this legitimate, job-creating industry, and would cause serious harm to Indian users and citizens. We firmly believe that progressive regulation and not prohibition is the way forward for the legitimate Indian industry. With your guidance, India can set a global example by building a safe, transparent, and thriving digital gaming ecosystem."
Pakistan
Regular readers of Gambling911.com are familiar with the case of Ducky Bhai (pictured below). He's the YouTube influencer whose charged with the promotion of real money gambling sites on his social media platforms.
There could be more to this story as Investigating Officer Shoaib Riaz alleges that Bhai was a member of an “international gambling racket.”
People here continue to gamble regardless of any potential legal ramifications.
Pakistan boasts approximately 34 million online gamers in a nation with a population that exceeds 255 million.
Bangladesh
Gambling has become increasingly popular in Bangladesh as the Public Gambling Act of 1867 does not necessarily apply to modern day technology, including web gambling.
Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan gambling market was valued at approximately $293.93 million in 2020 and projected to reach over $410 million by 2026.
In August 2025, Sri Lanka's parliament passed the Gambling Regulatory Authority Bill, now referred to as the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act, No. 17 of 2025. It seeks to create a single framework that includes all forms of gambling under a single guidance policy.
The Maldives and Afghanistan
Gambling is illegal in both nations. The Maldives prohibits resorts from offering real money casinos.
The Taliban, who have governed Afghanistan since 2021, now enforce strict regulations to limit digital activities they consider immoral, and that includes electronic forms of gambling.
Afghanistan puts the "ugly" in gambling prohibition courtesy of the Taliban's "Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law. Though rare, public flogging of offenders has been documented
- B.E. Delmer, Gambling911.com
