Overview
- The latest action targeted websites and apps running online sports betting, virtual casinos with slots and roulette, live dealer tables, peer‑to‑peer betting exchanges, satta/matka networks, and real‑money card and casino games.
- Government figures put total blocks at roughly 8,400 platforms, with about 4,900 taken down since the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act came into force last year.
- Under the Act, all real‑money games are prohibited, advertising is barred, and banks and payment systems are forbidden from processing related transactions.
- Penalties include up to three years’ imprisonment and fines up to ₹1 crore for offering or facilitating money games, while advertising such platforms can draw up to two years’ jail and fines up to ₹50 lakh.
- Final rules have eased compliance for non‑monetised social games with voluntary registration, e‑sports must register, and a new Online Gaming Authority with quasi‑judicial powers is being set up, though observers note illicit operators often rotate domains to evade blocks.