Looking to understand how to bet on tennis in India? We have all possible information here that could go a long way in helping you in every possible way.
Indians love their cricket and in recent times, there is a growing number of football fans too but tennis has always been there and thereabouts for sports fans in India. It might be known to be bit of elite sport but the surge of Indian tennis stars, in their own right and the presence of the dazzling stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic has led to the creation of its own solid tennis following in India.
As far as tennis betting in India is concerned, it cannot hold a candle to cricket betting, not yet anyway, but there is as much intrigue involved in it given the number of tennis betting markets and the amount of tennis that is played year around. Sure, cricket is now getting to a stage where the proliferation of the various T20 leagues around the world make it possible for punters to bet on the sport. However, tennis betting has its own charm and given the number of betting entry points in it, makes for an interesting proposition.
So if you are a tennis fan and looking to understand the nuts and bolts of tennis betting in India, or just looking to branch out from cricket – and other sport – betting to tennis, here’s our guide how you can do that.
History of Tennis in India
Tennis in India is governed by AITA since 1920, and the popularity of the sport was a direct result of England bringing it to its colonies including India in the early 20th century.
It was in the 1960s when Ramanathan Krishnan brought India to the global stage with his fourth seeding at Wimbledon 1962, a tournament that saw five Indians make it to the main draw of the competition.
Vijay Amritraj took over the mantle in the 1970s and 80s, reaching the quarterfinals at both, Wimbledon and US Open and reaching a career-high singles ranking of 16th in the world.
Ramesh Krishnan was a three-time quarterfinalist in Grand Slam tennis too, and this was followed by the current era which has seen the likes of Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza win Grand Slam titles, albeit in doubles and mixed doubles. Paes has an Olympics medal too to go with his multiple majors wins.
But, what does all of this have to do with helping you with tennis betting? Well, always good to know a bit of history of the sport!
Sports Betting in India – Legal or Not?
Before we get down to tennis betting in India, let’s address that question that we often hear a lot of Indian sports fans ask. Is sports betting legal in India? We are no experts in laws of the land and very frankly, we have spoken to a few lawyers about this and the answer has confused us more than resolved our query.
Yes, betting is illegal in India. However, there seems to be some sort of consensus about betting online, which might not be illegal. We use the words, ‘might not’ because again, as we said earlier, the ambiguity around this is quite baffling frankly. Here’s a feature on this topic in a national newspaper daily, which goes by the headline, Legally illegal, but you can bet online in India. Make what you may about this.
Dig in a little more and the one conclusion you can draw is bookmakers cannot operate in the country legally but punters can bet money on sport using overseas bookmakers like bet365 and Betway, two of the more famous bookmakers which accept bets from Indian fans.
One of the reasons for this vagary in the sports betting law in India is while gambling is illegal in the country, there is a lack of law that bars people from online gambling when the bookmaker is not India-based.
In short, it’s your call what you think of the situation. Take a pause at this stage, decide on whether you want to go ahead with betting on tennis and if so, move ahead.
Right, now that we are done with the legal aspect of sports and tennis betting in India, we move on to how to actually go about betting on tennis in India. For starters, this isn’t too different from how you do the same in cricket but we will explain each step in detail anyway.
Why Tennis Betting in India?
The other big question that many ask is why bet on tennis when the cricket market is so big anyway and admittedly, as we said above, it’s growing. No doubting that, if you are good at something why should you not continue doing that for the rest of your life? Our experts here at TWL are good at tennis and we would probably never want to bet on any other sport except for the odd punt, but there are multiple reasons why you might want to bet on tennis in India.
Change of landscape
We all need a break from our regular stuff, right? So, if you have been consistently betting on cricket and are looking for a change to explore other sports, tennis might not be such a bad option to begin. Some might say football is a good sport to go ahead with as well, and who are we to disagree – to each his/her own – but tennis is a lot more fun and we say this from personal experience.
There’s so much tennis to choose from…
If you thought cricket has a solid base in terms of the number of tournaments and as a result, the number of betting opportunities, you must try tennis.
As mentioned above, there are more than 100 ATP and WTA tennis tournaments to choose from and that’s the highest level of the sport. Below that level are the Challengers events, the Futures and the ITF competitions, making it probably the most widely played sport in the world. In fact, by our estimate, at any given point in the day during the year, there is one or the other tennis match going on which you can bet on!
Point to point action
Cricket betting allows punters to bet on the result of every ball, and it’s similar in tennis. Typically players need to win two or three sets to win the match, needing to win six games with a difference of at least two to win a set and each game requires a player to win four points, again, with a difference of two.
Matches typically last anywhere around one to three hours (although lesser and more time than that isn’t uncommon at all) and punters can be involved in tennis every minute of every match. Even if one doesn’t want to bet on every point, there are numerous other tennis betting markets (which you can read about here).
It’s challenging but once you get the hang of it, it’s a lot of fun too.
Which Tennis Tournaments to Bet on?
Here’s basic lowdown on which are some of the top tennis tournaments which everyone loves to bet on and some others which you can also look to check on as you get more experienced in tennis betting.
If you are just starting out on betting in tennis in India, look at the top tournaments like Grand Slams, ATP Finals and the Masters. It should allow you a good insight into the world of tennis betting given the presence of the top players you are more acquainted with.
Then, as you move on, as you begin to understand the machinations behind your tennis bets and the betting markets, as your confidence grows and your tactical nous kicks in, you can move towards the lower-level tournaments like the ATP 500 and 250, WTA Internationals and others at that level.
We wouldn’t recommend betting on Challengers, Futures and ITF tournaments just yet, because then one is looking at players ranked between 100th to nearly 1000th on the ATP and WTA rankings, and it becomes even tougher to take a betting call in such cases.
Below is list of the basic tennis tournament types and examples of the tournaments under each of them. You can also get the betting tips to all these tournaments using our tournament-list page here. Click under the Get Predictions column for the tournament for which you want betting tips and predictions.
Grand Slams & Year-Ending Tournaments
- Australian Open (played on hard court surfaces in mid-January)
- French Open (played on clay towards the end of May)
- Wimbledon (played on grass in the last week of June-first week of July)
- US Open (played on hard court surfaces in the last week of August)
- ATP Finals (played at the end of the men’s tennis season)
- WTA Finals (played at the end of the women’s tennis season)
ATP 1000 Masters & WTA Premier Tournaments
- Indian Wells Open (one of the biggest tennis tournaments outside of the Grand Slams)
- Miami Open
- Madrid Open
- Rome Open
- Rogers Cup
- Cincinnati Open
- China Open and so on
ATP 500, 250 & WTA International Tournaments
- Auckland Open
- Prague Open
- Nottingham Open
- Mexican Open
- Pune Open (originally played in Chennai and called the Chennai Open, India’s only ATP tennis tournament)
- Marseille Open
- Swedish Open and so on
Team-Based Tournaments
- Davis Cup
- ATP Cup
- Laver Cup
- Fed Cup
- Hopman Cup
Lower-Level Tournaments
- ATP Challengers
- Men’s Futures Events
- WTA $125k Series
- Women’s ITF Tournaments
Factors to consider while deciding on tennis bookmakers
If you are looking to kick-start your tennis betting journey, one of the oft-asked questions is how to decide on which bookmaker to sign up with. If you are in India, the number of options aren’t those many as compared to those in the UK and Europe but this list has steadily grown from having just bet365 to a few others as well.
This list is expected to grow more and more, reaching a stage where you might find it difficult to decide on which bookmakers to sign up with. Sure, we would recommend you to sign up with as many as possible because it comes with its own set of advantages (not just restricted to sign-up bonus) but it would make more sense, as a beginner, to test out the waters with just one or two to kick-start things off. Here’s how we would look to make that choice.
Safety & Security
The big advantage of betting with these legal, overseas bookmakers is they are governed by strict laws of the country in which they are registered. Licenses offered to these bookmakers by the national gaming authorities ensure the operation of these bookmakers is done in line with the what is expected from them.
These licenses also ensure there are data protection laws in place and bookmakers are penalised heavily for any transgressions.
Ease of Deposits & Withdrawals
Typically, most bookmakers offer an easy process to deposit your money and what you would like is for them to have multiple options to be able to withdraw your winnings too. After all you don’t want to keep waiting on your thousands of rupees before you are able to get them back into your bank.
And a lot of these bookmakers we have mentioned in the list below allow for this option – quick withdrawal once you have any amount of cash in your account. This, here, is pretty much a solid list of ways to withdraw money into your account from the bookmakers mentioned below, but if you are looking at specific bookmakers, then you can go to the respective pages and click on the Withdraw link on their site to take a look at what are they offering.
Some of the methods that Indian users can make use of to deposit and withdraw money include Skrill, Neteller and Entropay apart from a Bank Wire.
Regular Top Odds
No bookmaker will always give you the best odds for every market but you must look at signing up with those who regularly offer the top odds. Looking at it slightly differently, once you grow into tennis betting, analyse which are the markets that you are good at and compare the bookmakers which offer you those markets for their odds. Go for those who, on an average, give you the best odds in the business for those markets.
Now, we will always advise you to sign up for as many bookmakers as possible but a website like OddsChecker.com is always a good way to keep comparing the odds for the markets you are betting on.
Best Offers and Promotions
Most bookmakers offer a variety of sign-up bonuses and offers for registering with them but always read the fine print behind those offers.
There are exhaustive terms and conditions applicable for each of these offers. Some need you to have not just signed up but also having bet a few times before you can avail of it, others need your bets to be on markets with specific minimum odds associated with it, while in most cases punters aren’t allowed to withdraw the money, only use it to bet further on their sites.
Some bookmakers offer cashbacks in case of losses, for new customers, others prohibit these offers to be used with Skrill or Neteller wallets. Then again there are some bookmakers that offer price boosts for particular markets, or in case of tennis accumulators, there are bonuses offered as well.
Make sure to read our tennis betting guide for the best tennis promotions and offers here. While all these offers won’t be applicable for punters in India, some of them will be available and it would give a new customer from India an idea about how these promotions work.
Live Streaming Options
This is not mandatory but nice to have option. Some of the tennis bookmakers like bet365 and Unibet offer the live streaming rights to tennis tournaments from all around the world. This enhances the punter’s experience while betting on the match, especially if the match is not broadcast in India.
Cricket being the primary followed sport in the country, followed by football, there are many occasions on which tennis gets bit of a step-brotherly treatment by the broadcasters. There have been occasions when our Indian readers have complained matches from tournaments as big as the Masters aren’t telecast live in India because they are running concurrently with cricket and football.
At times like, signing up with the aforementioned bookmakers who stream plethora of tennis matches. These include tennis from even the lower-level competitions like the Challengers and the Futures circuit which you might not get anywhere else.
There are a couple of conditions that are applicable here, including the need to have a pre-funded account with the bookmaker and geo-restrictions.
Which are the best tennis bookmakers for India?
Many years ago, bet365 was the only bookmaker of solid reputation which took tennis and sports from India but this list has expanded greatly. Betway has joined the big league too, and Indian fans, especially cricket fans would have seen them sponsor cricket in West Indies and South Africa along with their banner advertisements inside cricket stadiums in India.
Both bet365 and Betway have excellent signup offers for Indian punters and you can sign up with them to avail of the same if you like here (for bet365) and here (for Betway). .
Over the years, there are other overseas companies who have joined this list of those who accept bets from Indian tennis betting fans. Compiled below is that list which we will look to tweak as we get more information. Please remember this isn’t an exhaustive list but one we believe that will help you get you started with tennis betting if you are in India.
| Tennis Bookmaker | Signup Promotion* | Signup Link |
|---|---|---|
| Bet365 | 15% of Qualifying Deposit in Bet Credits. (up to $60). Minimum Deposit $10. Read T&C for exact details | Click hereto sign up with bet365 |
| Unibet | Money back up to INR 2500 | Click here to sign up with Unibet |
| 22Bet | 100% Up To INR 10,000 + 22 Bet Points | Click here to sign up with 22Bet |
| 10Cric | 110% bonus up to Rs. 10,100 on your first deposit. Minimum Deposit of INR 1000. | Click here to sign up with 10Cric |
| LeoVegas | 100% Profit Boost up to INR 10,000 | Click here to sign up with LeoVegas |
| Royal Panda | 100% Bonus up to INR 2000 | Click here to sign up with Royal Panda |
| Betway | 100% Bonus up to INR 8,000 | Click here to sign up with Betway |
*Please read the terms and conditions applicable with each offer in detail before opting to sign up with them.
Tennis Betting Strategies for Beginners
If you are just starting out on tennis betting, we would like you to go through our free beginner’s tennis betting strategy guide here. Some of the pointers in this guide we have covered above but overall, it could prove to be very useful for you.
We have enumerated the basic pointers for you here:
Understand the Tennis Circuit
If you are going to be betting on the Indian Premier League in cricket without knowing which teams are playing in the tournament, and their strengths and weaknesses, it wouldn’t augur too well for you, right? Same with any other sport including tennis where it makes a lot of sense to understand the different surfaces (very important!) and how different players perform in different tournaments on specific surfaces.
Understand the Tennis Rules
One obviously knows the basic rules of a sport one is going to start betting on but even more vitally, understanding the quirkier rules or the less common ones allows new tennis punters that confident going into it.
Understand the Tennis Betting Markets
This is obvious. Apart from the match and tournament winner’s market, most of the other betting markets are different in different sports and it makes sense to go through all of what the bookmakers you have signed for are offering.
Learn Tennis Betting Strategy
This is easier said than done and as in life, there is no better teacher than experience in tennis betting too. However, you don’t want that to come at a huge risk, so start small and if you need, ask for help. There are plenty of free and paid tennis tipsters around on the internet (you can check our premium tipsters list here), and it is a good way to start off with tennis betting.
Choose the Correct Bookmaker
This has been explained in depth in the section above. However, there is one point we would like to add here. Punters are required to get themselves verified with the bookmaker as a part of their KYC process. You will need to have a couple of documents ready, which could be anything from your passport, PAN number, driver’s license or any other such national document. Read the instructions and ensure you do that before beginning your tennis betting.
Learn to Bankroll
This isn’t specific to tennis betting alone but to all sports. Understand the concept of Bankrolling here and it will help you keep your discipline while betting. Discipline is an oft underrated characteristic for those looking to making a steady income from betting on tennis.
Choose the Best Tennis Markets
Much like other sports, there’re many betting markets in tennis and it depends on how well-versed you are and how confident you feel as a bettor on them that should decide which one you want to regularly opt for. Your own experience on the sport and what the free and premium tipsters online are saying can go a long way in helping you out here.
Maintain a Record
It is imperative for you to keep a record of all your bets, odds, markets, winnings and losses and to analyse them at the end of the month as it would go a long way in assisting you improve on it.
Learn Advanced Betting Techniques
More of it has been explained in the section below but once you have had a grasp on the aforementioned, once your confidence in tennis betting has grown to a level you think you can take that next step, try to understand the advanced tennis betting strategies. It will go a long way in gaining more traction into your thinking behind your tennis bets.
Advanced Tennis Betting for Indian users
If you are looking to read more about tennis betting, we would recommend you to read on a few advanced concepts around it here.
- Factors to Decide on Best Tennis Betting Websites
- Banking Options for Tennis Betting – How to Deposit & Withdraw Money
- What is Tennis Arbitrage Betting?
- What is Hedging in Tennis Betting?
- Nine Tennis Apps for Superior Tennis Predictions
- Tips & Strategy for Doubles Tennis
- What is Spread Betting in Tennis?
- What is Tennis Handicap Betting?
- Latest Tennis Betting Offers
- Top 10 Tennis Betting Websites
- Ultimate Guide to Tennis Accumulators Tips
- Risks & Rewards in Tennis Betting
- Best Tennis Betting Markets For You
- Tennis Betting Strategies and Rules to Win Big