Why fake online casinos are targeting Indian players

India's digital audience has grown at a pace few markets can match.

By the end of 2025, the country had 1.03 billion internet users, and it is estimated to pass the 1.2 billion mark by 2027. At the same time, the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 has made it illegal to offer online money games, including online casino gaming, anywhere in India.

Alongside this growth, fake online casinos are finding new ways to reach Indian players.

This article looks at what the ban means for players, how fake online casinos are targeting India's growing online audience, and how players can tell real games from fake ones.

What the ban means for online casino players in India

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming (PROG) Act, 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026, banning all online money games nationwide. That means no online casino can currently operate legally in India. Any online casino site targeting Indian players is operating outside the law, and players have no regulator to turn to if things go wrong. It also means that most online casino sites targeting Indian players are more likely to be offering fake games. The Act is still being challenged in the Supreme Court, so this position may change.

How India's mobile-first audience is exposed

Kepios's analysis for DataReportal found that the number of internet users in India grew by 223 million (27.7%) in a single year between October 2024 and October 2025.

Falling handset prices and widening network coverage mean first-time internet users are increasingly arriving online through a phone rather than a computer.

This describes a market that is younger, more mobile, and more digitally confident than before. However, with widespread access to the digital ecosystem and the ban on online money games, there has been a surge in fake platforms operating under dubious offshore licences.

The Government of India estimates that around 45 crore people have been affected by online money games, with losses exceeding ₹20,000 crore (circa €1,820 million).

How offshore online casinos are reaching Indian players

With no online casino able to operate legally in India, the sites still targeting Indian players are offshore and unlicensed. Many of them borrow the tactics of a mainstream consumer app to look familiar and trustworthy. Four patterns stand out:

• Sites are built mobile-first, with lighter app sizes suited to budget handsets.
• Content appears in regional languages, with localised themes designed to feel familiar.
• Promotion reaches beyond the major metros into tier-two and tier-three cities.
• Sites offer joining bonuses, voucher codes, and discount coupons to encourage a quick first deposit.

None of these features means a site offers real games. Generous bonuses aimed at a market where online casino gaming is currently banned are a warning sign in themselves.

Players are exposed to a wider and faster-moving stream of platforms than ever before. This creates more openings for sites that copy the look of real games without any of the checks behind them.

Why fake online casinos are targeting Indian players

A large, fast-growing, and digitally active player base is precisely what fraud networks look for. India currently offers all three at scale.

Cybersecurity researchers have documented the tactics directly. One investigation found scammers registering around 1,000 phishing domains a day. The scammers use deepfake videos of celebrities to promote dubious apps. The realism of these deepfakes, combined with familiar faces, is designed to bypass the scepticism a player might otherwise apply to an unfamiliar platform.

Reviews of related financial activity have separately pointed to fake platforms disguised as ordinary gaming apps. These are built to lure new users in with promises of unusually high returns. The pattern is consistent. The fake games and fake platforms borrow the appearance of real online casino gaming while offering none of the checks that stand behind real games.

A few factors make Indian players a particular focus for this kind of activity:

• A young, mobile-first audience is still building experience with online casino gaming.
• Players are comfortable with digital payments, which makes it easier to engage with an unfamiliar app.
• Fake platforms are heavily promoted through social channels and messaging groups.
• The opportunity is huge, with more than a billion people now online in India.

In short, the same growth drawing serious investment into India's digital economy is also drawing operators with no intention of offering real games.

Source: Ministry of Home Affairs / Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. Figures cover all financial cyber fraud reported by citizens, not only online casino fraud.

Listed above are the official National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) figures. The latest government release says that from 2021 to 2025, citizens reported more than ₹55,050 crore (circa €5,066 million) in financial cyber fraud through the system.

Fake online casinos identified by Gamecheck

The following fake online casinos target Indian players and have been found to offer fake games. Gamecheck identified them by checking a selection of their games in collaboration with the original game providers. Each profile below shows the Fake Games Detected status.

11İC

55ace

axentrajs

bestcasino

Blyzes

Corexone

drakelion

Drakewhale

elbruscasino

ggambler

NEWLOTUS365

ovofate

ovolion

RAJALUCK

wavcas

winaspin

Winxwon

The challenge of identifying real online casinos and game providers

Gamecheck provides a platform that shows players which online casinos offer real games from the original game providers. It helps online casinos build trust with players by checking that the games they offer are real. By exposing rogue operators, the platform gives players the information they need to spot sites offering fake games. This supports a level playing field for everyone operating honestly and the wider push towards transparency across the online casino industry.

Identifying fake games

Fake games are versions of online casino games that have not been checked and confirmed as real by the original game providers who created them. They tend to appear in a few recognisable ways:

• Some are hosted on standalone fake online casino sites built to resemble established platforms.
• Others are built into apps designed to imitate familiar formats.
• They sometimes use names, logos, or interfaces that are near-identical to popular real games.
• In some cases, fake games are bundled alongside real content on a platform that has not been fully checked, which makes them harder for a player to isolate.

Fake games tend to increase alongside India's growing online audience, both in player numbers and in the titles on offer. Fake operators lean on the same conditions driving that growth: cheap templates, ready-made software, and players still learning what to look for. This affects casual players wanting quick reassurance and new players still learning to choose real games. Experienced players are not immune either.

Gamecheck supports players, operators, and game providers alike. Players can look up any online casino using the search bar and request a check for any online casino not yet listed. Operators that offer real games display the Gamecheck SEAL, and game providers confirm Gamecheck's findings, helping protect their intellectual property: the real games they create.

Awareness against fake games

Awareness is the most effective tool against fake games, and a few simple habits go a long way before playing any new game.

• Look for a clear check status before playing a game. Games checked and confirmed by their original providers are shown in green, which indicates Real Games. Games flagged in red mean Fake Games Detected. Games still being checked are shown as Pending checks.
• Treat screenshots and referral links with caution. Screenshots of winnings and referral links shared in chat groups are a starting point for curiosity, not proof.
• Remember who confirms a game is real. Original game providers, not the platforms hosting their games, are the ones who confirm whether a game is real. Well-known testing and auditing bodies in this space include eCOGRA, Technical Systems Testing (TST), BMM Testlabs, iTech Labs, and Gaming Laboratories International (GLI).
• Look for the Gamecheck SEAL. Where a platform displays a Gamecheck SEAL, a selection of its games has been checked as real by the original game providers. Each Gamecheck SEAL is tied to a specific domain. It carries a unique QR code that can be scanned using the Gamecheck app, and its results are stored on the blockchain. Operators displaying the Gamecheck SEAL are monitored continuously, and it is removed immediately if fake games are later detected.

Where this leaves players

Indian players now come across a wide range of online casinos, and the games on offer can differ greatly from one site to the next. For players in this position, checking an online casino first is more important than ever. Gamecheck gathers evidence and checks a selection of games in collaboration with the original game providers, who confirm whether the games are real or fake.

Players who come across any online casino can check it using Gamecheck's free tools.

Sources

DataReportal, Digital 2026: India

Statista, Internet users in India forecast

Press Information Bureau, Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025

Press Information Bureau, Financial cyber fraud reported through NCRP

Deccan Herald (PTI), Scammers creating 1,000 phishing domains a day

SiGMA World, Indian authorities uncover betting apps laundering almost $48M via fake games