How International Casinos Are Joining The ‘Aatmanirbhar’ Bandwagon With Rupees Payments

The year 2020 was defined by the coronavirus pandemic, arguably the worst-health crisis the world has ever seen in the past century. The pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on various aspects of our lives, and businesses were no exception.

COVID-19 created several operational and financial challenges for businesses in India. During the early days of the crisis, over 70% of businesses in the country dealt with reduced cash flows with the manufacturing sectors being the worst hit. However, it has also proved to be a boon for a handful of sectors, and online gambling is one of them.

With most Indians confined to their homes and having ample free time to spend, the Indian market experienced the steep scaling of online gambling platforms and their revenue charts. Along with the huge surge in traffic and user engagement during the lockdown, the iGaming sector in India has grown at a phenomenal rate over the past few years.

The immensity of this surge can be demonstrated by several powerful statistics. As per some statistics, over 40% of all internet users in India gamble, and it is likely to surpass the United Kingdom in terms of casino players per capita. This is evident from the fact that over 80% of all adults in India gamble at least once a year.

The unprecedented growth of the gambling sector in India is attributed to two major factors that laid the foundation for its success before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The first is the availability of affordable internet services in the country, with the second being the increased penetration of mobile devices among rural Indians.

As the Indian gaming market still has a huge untapped potential, several international casinos are placing major emphasis on capitalizing on the Indian markets in an attempt to grab a bigger piece of the pie. International casinos have started offering localized content and providing customer support in the Indian language in order to cater to more and more Indian players. Also, several issues faced by Indian players are being resolved, with the problem of currency conversion being the major one.

The shift from foreign currencies to INR

One of the most crucial factors of online gambling marketing is localization. Without proper localization, the marketing message might not be as strong as intended. As international casinos target the Indian market, they understand the importance of having sound localization.

To make Indian players feel included, several leading global casinos have enabled Rupees (INR) transfers on their platforms. This has not only facilitated Indian players to make payments at an online casino in Indian rupees but betting and gambling on these platforms as well. Also, promotional offers such as welcome and signup bonuses, which are offered up to thousands of Rupees, are being used as the major marketing strategy to attract new players.

Some of the major gambling platforms have gone as far as getting insights into the spending concerns of Indian players. To capitalize on the rural Indian market that still isn’t used to international payment platforms such as PayPal and Skrill, online casinos have started offering more convenient payment options such as Google Pay, Paytm, Rupay, and Phone Pe. And fortunately, the strategy is working in their favor as many Indians can now be seen playing on these international platforms.

Conclusion

International online casinos understand that they can continue to thrive in the market if emerging gambling markets like India keep on prospering. With that in mind, these sites are not only interested in offering localized content but also a localized experience by facilitating easy and convenient payments in Indian rupees. As the Indian gambling market continues to grow, there will be more and more international casinos accepting Indian players and offering Indian payment methods.