Is Satta King Legal or Illegal in India? What the Law Says

Is Satta King legal in India? In short, no. Betting money on Gali, Desawar (Disawar, दिसावर), Faridabad, Ghaziabad or any other satta (सट्टा) game is gambling, and gambling for money on a game of chance is an offence in almost every state. Since 1 May 2026 a central law also bans online money games across the country.

This page is the main guide in our Law and Safety section. It explains which laws apply, what changed in 2024 and 2026, and what the risks are. If you are new to these games, start with what Satta King is. To understand the numbers on this site, see how Satta King results are declared and how to read a Satta King chart.

Is Satta King legal or illegal in India?

Satta King is illegal. No state government licenses Gali, Desawar or the other Delhi-NCR games, and they are not government lotteries. Anyone who runs them, takes bets on them or bets on them can be charged under state gambling law.

Three layers of law apply at the same time:

• State gambling laws. These are the main laws. Each state has its own, so penalties differ from place to place.
• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Section 112 treats "unauthorised betting or gambling" as a crime when it is done as part of a group or gang.
• Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025. This bans offering, advertising and paying for online money games anywhere in India.

The word "king" in the name does not mean the game is official or approved. It is simply the popular name for this family of number games. Their exact origin is not recorded, though they share much with the older Bombay matka. Our history of Satta King and Satta Matka vs Satta King guides explain the background.

Why does each state make its own gambling law?

Because the Constitution puts "betting and gambling" in the State List. It is Entry 34 of List II in the Seventh Schedule, so state legislatures write the main gambling laws.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) told Parliament in March 2025 that state legislatures have the power to make laws on betting and gambling. It added that police and public order are also state subjects. That is why raids on satta operators are usually carried out by the local state police, not by a central agency.

In practice, this means the same act can carry very different penalties in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana or Bihar. Central laws such as the BNS and the 2025 Act apply on top of the state laws, not instead of them.

Which state laws make satta illegal?

Each state's own gambling law does. Many states still use the Public Gambling Act, 1867, a British-era Act, often with their own changes. Others have replaced it with newer laws that also cover online betting.

The 1867 Act punishes keeping a "common gaming-house" (section 3), being found in one (section 4) and gaming in a public street or place (section 13). It exempts games of "mere skill" (section 12), but Uttar Pradesh removed that exemption in 1917. The UP version also lists "satta papers", meaning slips that record bets, as instruments of gaming.

Courts have called this law out of date. In May 2025 the Allahabad High Court said the 1867 Act was written before the internet and does not deal with online betting. It asked the UP government to form a committee to draft a new law. Haryana (2025) and Bihar (2026) have already replaced the old Act within their states.

Some details matter. Delhi's 1955 Act treats a place used for betting "on any figures or numbers" to be disclosed later as a common gaming-house. Keeping one can mean up to 6 months in jail, a fine of up to Rs 1,000, or both. Being found in one can mean up to 3 months, a fine of up to Rs 500, or both.

Haryana's 2025 law, which replaced the 1867 Act in that state, is much stricter. Owning or financing a gambling house can bring 3 to 5 years in jail. Being part of an "organized gambling syndicate" can bring 3 to 5 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakh. Bihar's 2026 Act also covers satta "digits, figures, signs, symbols or pictures" and online platforms.

Gujarat's version of the Prevention of Gambling Act, 1887 allows a warrantless arrest of a person who prints or spreads news or other material "with the intention of aiding or facilitating gaming". These are only examples. Every state has its own rules, and some are changing fast.

What does BNS section 112 say about betting?

Section 112 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 makes "petty organised crime" an offence. It covers a person who, "being a member of a group or gang", commits acts such as theft, cheating or "unauthorised betting or gambling".

The punishment is at least one year and up to seven years in jail, plus a fine. The BNS replaced the Indian Penal Code and came into force on 1 July 2024.

The group or gang element is important. Section 112 does not turn every single bet into a central crime. It is aimed at people who commit unauthorised betting or gambling as members of a group or gang, which describes the networks of operators, agents and collectors that run satta. An ordinary bet is still dealt with mainly under state gambling law.

What does the Online Gaming Act 2025 ban?

Under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, every "online money game" is banned in India. It applies whether the game is based on skill, chance or both, as long as users pay money or other stakes hoping to win more.

Parliament passed the Act in August 2025. It received the President's assent on 22 August 2025 as Act 32 of 2025. The government notified it on 22 April 2026, and the Act and its Rules came into force on 1 May 2026.

Repeat offences carry higher penalties. Offering a game and handling payments for one are cognizable and non-bailable offences. The ban on advertising is wide: it covers any advertisement "in any media including electronic means of communication" that "directly or indirectly promotes or induces" anyone to play.

The Act does not create an offence for simply playing. That does not make playing legal, because state gambling laws still apply to players. The government can also block "any information" linked to an online money gaming service, and a new Online Gaming Authority of India keeps a list of online money games.

Status as of October 2026: gaming companies challenged the Act in several High Courts. On 8 September 2025 the Supreme Court moved those cases to itself. On 5 August 2026 it agreed to give them a final hearing. So far the Court has not stayed the Act or given any interim relief, so the Act continues to apply.

Is satta the same as a lottery?

No. Only a state government can run a legal lottery in India, and it must follow the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998. Satta games are private betting operations with no such permission.

Under the 1998 Act, a state may run a lottery only if it meets conditions. The tickets must carry the state's imprint, the state must conduct the draws, and the money must go into the state's public account. A state can also stop the sale of other states' lottery tickets in its territory. Gali, Desawar and similar games meet none of these conditions.

The "game of skill" exemption does not help either. The Supreme Court held in 1967 that rummy is mainly a game of skill. A satta result is a two-digit number that the player cannot influence, so it is a game of chance. Old Satta King record charts cannot change that; our guide on why charts cannot predict results explains why.

What are the risks for players, agents and websites?

The risk is real at every level. Players can be fined or jailed under state law, agents face heavier charges, and online operators face the central ban and blocking.

• Players. State laws punish being found in a gaming house or gaming in public. So a raid can lead to charges against the people found betting, not only the organisers. Bank accounts linked to betting can also be frozen during an investigation.
• Agents and collectors. A khaiwal (खाईवाल, a satta agent or bookie) or collector who takes bets can be charged with keeping a gaming house. Where a gang is involved, BNS section 112 can apply, and Haryana has a separate offence for gambling syndicates.
• Bank account holders. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has warned that betting operators use "mule" accounts. Renting out or selling your bank account, SIM or KYC can make you part of a criminal case.
• Websites and apps. The 2025 Act makes it an offence to offer or advertise an online money game. Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh also have offences for printing or publishing satta or matka figures. The scope of these offences differs by state.

Blocking is also common. MeitY has blocked thousands of betting and gambling sites and apps since 2022. A March 2026 government update named "satta and matka gambling networks" among the targets.

This site only keeps a record of results after they are published. It does not take bets, sell numbers or give predictions, and its results, charts and guides are independent of any operator. Boxes marked "Sponsored" are third-party ads that we do not check or endorse. Our disclaimer and editorial policy explain how we handle this content.

How do you report a satta scam?

Call 1930 or report it on cybercrime.gov.in as soon as you can. Because satta is illegal, victims have no operator they can safely complain to, and fraudsters count on that.

The most common trick is a "leak" or "fix" number, sold for an advance fee on WhatsApp, Telegram or YouTube. No one can sell a genuine result in advance. Other scams include fake satta apps that block withdrawals and "recovery agents" who promise to get lost money back for a fee. Our guide to leak and fix number scams lists the warning signs.

If you have been cheated:

1. Call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 as quickly as possible. Fast reporting gives the bank a better chance to hold the money.
2. Register a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in and pick the financial fraud category. The portal forwards it to the police of your state or UT.
3. Save proof: the reference number of every payment, the account or UPI ID you paid, the phone numbers used and screenshots of the chats.
4. Never pay anyone who offers to "recover" your money.

If betting has become hard to stop, help is available. See our page on gambling addiction help for free, confidential support.

Will the law on satta change?

It is already changing. The direction is towards stricter laws, not legal satta.

Haryana and Bihar have replaced the 1867 Act with tougher laws, and the Allahabad High Court has asked Uttar Pradesh to write a modern one. The Supreme Court's final decision on the Online Gaming Act could change parts of that law, but no court has suggested that betting on satta is lawful. Always check the current law in your own state.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws differ by state and change often.

This guide is for information only. A record chart is history, not a prediction. Follow the law of your state. 18+ only. Disclaimer · Editorial policy