Quick answer
No. Dafabet’s international site runs under a Curaçao licence, and India does not license any real-money online betting or casino site. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 bans offering, advertising and processing payments for online money games. Dafabet’s sports sponsorships do not change that.
| Country | Local licence? | Status | Regulator |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | No (online money games banned) | Illegal | Central government (Ministry of Electronics and IT, MeitY) |
Who operates Dafabet and which licence it holds
Dafabet’s own website says the site is operated by Osmila N.V., a limited liability company incorporated in Curaçao on 28 June 2007 (company number 102267), with its registered office at Groot Kwartierweg 10, Curaçao. The Curaçao Gaming Authority’s (CGA) online licence register, dated 21 September 2026, lists Osmila N.V. under licence OGL/2024/1276/0583 (B2C). The register gives an issue date of 15 April 2026 and an expiry date of 15 October 2026, so check that the licence has been renewed if you read this after that date.
The Dafabet brand is linked to the AsianBGE group, which has held other licences, for example from the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority in the Philippines and a separate licence in Spain for dafabet.es. None of these licences covers India. A Curaçao licence authorises the company’s activity from Curaçao. It gives Indian players no local regulator, no complaints route and no self-exclusion scheme.
Enforcement in India has already touched the brand. Public reports from June 2026 describe police in Telangana arresting 11 people over a multi-state network allegedly promoting Dafabet, which involved mule bank accounts and shell companies. We have not reviewed the court records, and those arrested have not been convicted.
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, meaning games where users stake money expecting a money return, whether skill or chance is involved. According to PRS Legislative Research:
- Offering online money games: up to 3 years’ imprisonment and/or up to ₹1 crore fine.
- Advertising them, including through sponsorships and influencers: up to 2 years and/or up to ₹50 lakh.
- Facilitating payments for them: up to 3 years and/or up to ₹1 crore.
- The central government can block public access to online money gaming services.
There is no licence Dafabet, or any other operator, can obtain for real-money betting in India. Implementing rules were notified in April 2026, and challenges to the Act are now before the Supreme Court. The ban applies unless the Court decides otherwise.
A note on “surrogate” branding: sports sponsorships sometimes promote a news site or free app with the same name as a betting brand. Seeing the Dafabet name at a sports event does not mean real-money betting with Dafabet is lawful in India.
What this means for players
- No Indian complaints route: disputes over withdrawals, voided bets or account closures can only go to the operator or the Curaçao regulator.
- Payment risk: payment facilitation is an offence under the 2025 Act, so UPI, card and bank payments can be declined or frozen. Investigations into betting networks have used mule accounts, which can expose players’ own accounts to freezes.
- No self-exclusion coverage: no Indian scheme covers offshore sites, and deposit limits or cooling-off tools are set by the operator, not a regulator.
- Licence expiry: the Curaçao register lists Osmila N.V.’s licence as expiring on 15 October 2026. Even if it is renewed, that changes nothing for Indian players.
- Tax: Indian tax law has taxed online gaming winnings at 30%.
- 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
- Read the footer or terms for the operating company and licence number.
- Look the licence up with the issuing regulator. For Curaçao, open the CGA register at cga.cw and check the expiry date and status.
- Ask whether that licence covers India. For real-money online betting and casino games, the answer is currently always no. Official notices are published by MeitY.
- Watch for red flags: payment to personal UPI IDs, agents on messaging apps, APK files from outside official stores and frequently changing domains.
Licensed alternatives
India currently has no lawful real-money online betting or casino market, so we do not list any operator as an alternative. Free-to-play games and e-sports without stakes remain permitted.
FAQ
Is Dafabet legal in India?
No. The 2025 Online Gaming Act bans online money games, their advertising and related payments, and Dafabet has no Indian authorisation.
Who owns Dafabet’s website?
Dafabet’s site states that it is operated by Osmila N.V. of Curaçao. The CGA register lists Osmila N.V. under licence OGL/2024/1276/0583, expiring 15 October 2026.
Can I be punished for betting on Dafabet?
PRS’s summary found no criminal penalty for individual players. You still risk frozen payments and losing your money without recourse.
Dafabet sponsors sports teams. Doesn’t that make it legal?
No. Sponsorship does not create a licence. Advertising online money games is itself an offence under the 2025 Act.
Where can I report an illegal betting site?
Use the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or call 1930.
How we checked
This is desk research carried out in September 2026. We read Dafabet’s own website, the CGA online licence register dated 21 September 2026, PRS Legislative Research’s summary of India’s 2025 online gaming law, and public records on Dafabet. We did not review Indian court files.
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.
