Casinos in Sikkim

Sikkim is a small Himalayan state, but it holds an unusual position in Indian gambling: alongside Goa and the Union Territory of Daman, it is one of the only places in the country where casinos are allowed⁵. If you are visiting Gangtok or elsewhere in the state and want to know where to play, what it costs and what the experience is like, this page covers it.

Who can enter the casinos

The most important rule to know before you go: entry to the casinos is limited to visitors, not residents of Sikkim⁴. In plain terms, if you are a resident of Sikkim, the casinos are not open to you. The venues exist for visitors, which includes Indian tourists traveling from other states and foreign travelers.

This is not unusual in Asia. Several jurisdictions in the region run casinos for visitors only, with locals kept out. In India more broadly, games of chance played for stakes are largely prohibited under state gambling acts, with licensed casino gaming allowed as an exception in Goa and Sikkim⁶. So the fact that you can walk into a licensed casino here at all makes Sikkim special.

For visitors, the practical side is simple: bring identification, as casinos check who is entering, and expect the usual KYC (know your customer) verification when you buy in or cash out⁶.

The casinos in Sikkim

Sikkim has two land-based casinos where you can play poker: Casino Sikkim and Casino Mahjong¹. These are two of the dedicated casino venues in the state, and poker is the headline game at both.

Beyond those two, there is a third option that many visitors actually find first: the in-house casino at the MAYFAIR Spa Resort & Casino Gangtok, where you can play poker and roulette without leaving your hotel⁷. And the Deltin group, one of India's best-known casino operators, runs Deltin Denzong in Sikkim as part of a family of casino properties that also includes venues in Goa and Daman⁸.

So in practice your choices in Sikkim are:

Deltin Denzong: how the entry coupon works

Deltin Denzong handles entry differently from most casinos you may have visited. Instead of paying a fee at the door, you receive an OTPC, a One-Time Playing Coupon with a play value of ₹1,000, handed over at the time of check-in³.

Here is how the coupon works in practice:

• It has a play value of ₹1,000³.
• It is usable once, on selected games³.
• It is convertible to cash chips, and those chips can be encashed⁹.

So the ₹1,000 is not a lost entry fee in the way a door charge would be. You hand over the coupon, receive playing value for it, and whatever happens at the tables, chips you hold can be cashed out. Think of it as an entry levy that comes back to you as play money on the selected games.

Deltin's casino properties are operational 24x7, so the coupon system runs around the clock⁸.

MAYFAIR Spa Resort & Casino Gangtok

The MAYFAIR Spa Resort & Casino Gangtok is one of the top five-star hotels in Gangtok, spread across 48 acres of forested land². It hosts 93 villas, three dining options, and a 24-hour casino². The resort opens its gates to leisure guests, corporate travelers and casino players alike².

The casino itself offers poker and roulette, so you can test your luck at a table game without leaving the estate⁷. The resort sits about 12.4 km from the Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre, one of the region's most important Buddhist monasteries, which makes it easy to combine a casino stay with sightseeing².

If you want to be close to the action, the Executive Rooms with Private Sit-Out are located in the brand-new casino block, making the commute from your room to the casino floor a short one¹⁰.

Games you can play

Indian casinos offer a wide range of games, including poker, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and slot machines¹¹. In Sikkim specifically, the two land-based casinos are known for poker¹, and the MAYFAIR casino in Gangtok spreads poker and roulette⁷.

A quick orientation for anyone new to these games:

• Poker is played against other players, not the house. Sikkim's two dedicated casinos are poker venues first¹.
• Roulette is a spinning-wheel game where you bet on where the ball lands. It is on offer at the MAYFAIR casino⁷.
• Blackjack and baccarat are card games played against the dealer, common across Indian casinos¹¹.
• Slot machines are also standard at Indian casino properties¹¹.

If you want to read up on any of these before your visit, see our guide to casino games in India, or for poker specifically, our page on poker in India.

Money and payments

In casinos in Goa and Sikkim, the entire gamut of payment mechanisms is available, subject to proper KYC verifications⁶. In practice that means buying in and cashing out can be done with standard payment methods, with identification checks part of the process, especially for larger transactions.

Winnings from gambling in India can carry tax obligations, so it is worth reading our page on tax on gambling winnings in India before a big night.

Staying where you play

The MAYFAIR resort model makes Sikkim unusual: rather than visiting a casino, you can simply stay in one. With 93 villas across 48 acres, three restaurants and the casino on site, a stay here bundles everything together². The Executive Rooms in the new casino block put you steps from the tables¹⁰.

To book or ask questions, MAYFAIR lists several contact numbers¹²:

• Central reservations: +91 92 3750 0101
• Hotel direct: +91 0359 222 0101
• Front office: +91 92 3285 5007
• Toll-free: 1800 296 0101

The MAYFAIR booking form covers its properties in Gangtok, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Goa and several other cities, so you can plan a multi-stop trip through the group's hotels¹².

A first visit: what to expect

A few practical things to know before your first casino visit in Sikkim:

• Hours. The MAYFAIR casino is open 24 hours², and Deltin's properties are operational 24x7⁸, so late-night play is not a problem.
• Entry. Locals cannot enter⁴; visitors should carry ID and expect KYC checks⁶.
• At Deltin Denzong. You will receive your ₹1,000 OTPC at check-in, not at the door³.
• Dress and conduct. These are hotel-based, five-star settings, so smart-casual dress is the norm at MAYFAIR. Deltin requires masks to be worn inside its casinos⁸.
• Pace yourself. The casinos are small and friendly compared with the big gaming floors of Goa or Macau. Poker is the core offering at the two dedicated venues¹, so if you are a table-game player rather than a poker player, the MAYFAIR casino or Deltin Denzong will suit you better.

If you are comparing Sikkim with India's other casino state, see our page on Goa casinos, or for the national picture, casinos in India.

Other gambling in Sikkim

Casinos are not the only gambling in the state. Sikkim has long been the most permissive state in India on gaming: it developed the Sikkim Online Gaming (Regulation) Act in 2008, allowing online casino games and sports betting through a licensing framework¹³. It is the only Indian state where sports betting could be offered under license⁶.

There is a catch, though. The licensing provision mandates that such games be played from within the state of Sikkim, offered via intranet gaming terminals in gaming cafés within the state¹⁴. So this is not online gambling you can access from anywhere; it is a closed, in-state system.

Sikkim also runs state lotteries, which you can read about on our page on Sikkim State Lotteries. For the wider picture of what is and is not available across the country, see gambling in India.