Can I start a Site hosted for countries other than mine when laws of my own country don't allow it?

Question

I have a Site idea and the idea seems to be very good on paper. Trouble is that its in the grey area where it can be called lottery or gambling - although it is not.

The Law in India says that I can host public games if they do not involve money as prize. Otherwise, I can host it in closed group format. As in some particular set of people only and not public.

Can I host the site and start my startup in India, but serve other countries where there are no such laws?

Or do I need to host and register my company in another country?

Answer 1

If you're from India and it's illegal, that you are definitely under their jurisdiction and you should seek legal counsel to make sure what you are building is not illegal in your country.

Even if you built from countries where it was legal, it's still a problem with your government (this is how it is in the USA, I'm sure it's fairly similar in India). I would completely advise against testing your authorities on this one.