Quick answer
No. 1Win has no Indian authorisation, and none can be granted. Since the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, offering, advertising or processing payments for online money games is banned in India. 1Win’s licensing entity, 1Win N.V., appears in the Curaçao register, but the listed licence period ended on 6 March 2026 and its status reads “Assessment in progress”.
| Country | Local licence? | Status | Regulator |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | No (online money games banned) | Illegal | Central government (Ministry of Electronics and IT, MeitY) |
Who operates 1Win and which licence it holds
1Win is a gambling brand founded in 2016 and registered in Willemstad, Curaçao. The Curaçao Gaming Authority’s (CGA) register of online gaming licences, dated 21 September 2026, lists 1Win N.V. (company registration number 147039) under licence number OGL/2024/587/0621. The register shows that licence as issued on 6 September 2025 with an expiry date of 6 March 2026, and its status as “Assessment in progress”.
We could not open 1Win’s own terms from our location, so we could not match the site footer against the register. If you see a 1Win site, compare the company and licence number in its footer with the CGA register. Keep in mind that a Curaçao licence, even a valid one, covers only the operator’s activity from Curaçao. It never makes a site legal in a country with its own rules, such as India.
Regulators elsewhere have acted against the brand. Public records note that 1Win is blocked in Russia as an unlicensed bookmaker, and in 2024 authorities in Kazakhstan put suspected organisers on an international wanted list. In Mexico, the federal gaming register shows the domain 1win.mx as closed (“Cerrado por Permisionario”) under the permit it had been linked to.
The law in India
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 received presidential assent on 22 August 2025. It bans “online money games”, which are games where a user stakes money or money’s worth expecting to win more, regardless of whether skill or chance decides the result. Sports betting and online casino games fall squarely within the ban. According to PRS Legislative Research:
- Offering online money games is punishable by up to 3 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to ₹1 crore, or both.
- Advertising them carries up to 2 years and/or a fine of up to ₹50 lakh.
- Banks and payment services that facilitate transactions for them face up to 3 years and/or up to ₹1 crore.
- The central government may block public access to information relating to online money gaming services.
E-sports and social games that involve no stakes can be registered. Real-money betting has no licensing route. Implementing rules were notified in April 2026, and challenges to the Act have been transferred to the Supreme Court. Until the Court rules otherwise, the ban is in force.
India has no official “blacklist” we could search by brand name. Blocking orders are issued by the government and are not published in a single public list. So the absence of a named block does not mean a site is allowed.
What this means for players
- No Indian protection: no Indian authority can resolve a dispute with 1Win, such as a refused withdrawal or a closed account.
- Payment risk: because payment facilitation is itself an offence, UPI, card and bank transfers to betting sites can be declined, reversed or frozen.
- Disappearing domains: blocked sites often move between mirror addresses. That makes it hard to know you are dealing with the real operator and not a copycat.
- Tax: Indian tax law has taxed online gaming winnings at 30%. A ban on the activity does not remove the tax exposure on money you receive.
- Player penalties: PRS’s summary of the 2025 law found no criminal penalty for individual players. The offences target operators, advertisers and payment facilitators.
How to check any gambling site yourself
- Find the company name and licence number in the site footer or terms.
- Check the licence with the issuing regulator. For Curaçao, use the CGA register at cga.cw and read the issue date, expiry date and status columns.
- Remember the Indian position: no real-money online betting or casino site can be lawfully offered to people in India. See MeitY for official notices.
- Treat as red flags: APK downloads from outside the official app stores, frequent domain changes, and deposit requests to personal UPI IDs or wallets.
Licensed alternatives
India has no lawful real-money online betting or casino market, so there is no licensed alternative we can recommend. If you want a stake-free hobby, e-sports and free-to-play social games remain permitted.
FAQ
Is 1Win legal in India in 2026?
No. The 2025 Online Gaming Act bans online money games, their advertising and related payments. 1Win has no Indian authorisation.
Does 1Win have a valid licence?
The CGA register lists 1Win N.V. under OGL/2024/587/0621 with an expiry date of 6 March 2026 and the status “Assessment in progress”. Even a valid Curaçao licence would not cover India.
Will I be punished for playing on 1Win?
PRS’s summary of the Act found no criminal penalties for individual players. You still risk losing deposits and winnings with no legal recourse in India.
Is 1Win’s app safe to install?
Apps from outside official stores, distributed by an operator without a local licence, give you no consumer protection. We do not recommend installing them.
Where can I report an illegal betting site?
You can report cyber-fraud through India’s National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or the 1930 helpline.
How we checked
This is desk research carried out in September 2026. We read the CGA online licence register dated 21 September 2026, PRS Legislative Research’s summary of India’s 2025 online gaming law, public records on 1Win, and Mexico’s federal gaming register. 1Win’s own site was not accessible to us, so we could not compare its footer with the register.
Responsible gambling
18+ only. If gambling is causing you harm, call Tele-MANAS, the government’s free mental-health helpline, on 14416. Gamblers Anonymous also offers support. See our responsible gambling page.
