William Hill, Betfair trying to enter India

[The Buzz]

Two of the UK's biggest gaming companies are bidding for the first online gambling license in India, the second most populous country in the world behind China.

William Hill and Betfair are two of some 13 companies hoping to get a slice of the country's $60bn (£37bn) betting market. Bwin is also bidding for the Internet license.

From Gambling911:

Some 13 betting companies, including local Indian operators, are battling it out for at least three licences in Sikkim. Sources said they want their betting services live from April 2010 - in time for the football World Cup in South Africa. The bookie Ladbrokes and the online specialist 888 are also considering bidding for a licence in Sikkim.

The license holders will be able to promote their services in Sikkim, but they expect to be able to take bets from all over India. While Sikkim has a population of less than 600,000, India has a rapidly growing population of 1.2 billion. Furthermore, once other Indian states see the huge revenues and tax receipts flowing into Sikkim, they are likely to follow suit. Internet penetration in India remains low by Western standards, but is soaring in the more affluent states.

[bbonline]

It is favorable to let online gambling legal in China coz they are at least much progressive than India. But I must also like the way Indian people communicate in terms on english language. Anyways, hopefully in the near future, online gambling could be legalize globally.

[Trifonoff]

I was wondering what is situation in Korea. I thing it is very prospective market.