The government introduced the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025, which came into effect in August last year, making online betting centrally illegal. Since then, the government has blocked 8,400 such websites and applications, strengthening the legal framework for regulating digital gaming and betting activities. Even after India’s sweeping crackdown on online betting, the reality on the ground tells a very different story. Platforms like 1xBet, Parimatch, and Betwinner remain easily accessible on desktops and smartphones, just a few clicks away from any Indian user willing to bypass the law. Most of these websites accept digital payments and UPIs, making it even more easier for users to bet online.
"So, frankly, you know, which is why England decided to legalise betting. I don't see how you can actually curb it in a country where we have the best laws, but the worst of implementation. Law, probably in the statute books, will look good. But when implemented and the lack of implementation makes it the worst law. So, I don't think we have a mechanism in our country where, especially online, you can actually monitor and do away with it. Forget Indian websites. I mean, internationally, you can bet in India," Rahul Mehra, who is a sports activist and a Supreme Court lawyer, told Sports Now in an exclusive interview.
The paradox is glaring: a legal ban without a visible deterrent. According to Mehra, it is almost impossible in this day and age to create a digital barrier, and unless there is strict action taken against the operators, people will continue to bet in a country where millions are possibly engaging in online betting.
"But at the larger scale, I don't think you can stop it because people don't have barriers online. Talking about jail, who is going to do it? And if there are millions of people doing it, how many people are you going to put in jail? See, the point is, you have to start somewhere. If you brought a law and you've criminalised it, and you've said that, no, you can't, it's banned, you can't do or enter into such activities any further, then the law must take its own course," Mehra highlighted.
For Nachiketa Vajpayee, a Supreme Court advocate, the only way forward from here on is to adopt a systematic approach, clubbed with razor-sharp accuracy, almost replicating the precision of a surgeon in dismantling the betting networks, and not just individual users. The Financial Intelligence Unit will play a major role in this by tracking suspicious UPI flows and choking the ecosystem at its source. The financial pipelines need to be cut off from its core.
"The persistence of betting during the Indian Premier League (IPL) demands a shift from symbolic prohibition to decisive, targeted enforcement. While wagering remains illegal under the Public Gambling Act, 1867, the objective must now be to make enforcement credible enough to meaningfully curb the activity," he told Sports Now.
He continued further by stating that to make this happen, there must be a collaborative, consolidated effort between central and state agencies, along with a full-fledged, dedicated task force to identify and prosecute syndicates rather than merely going after the low-hanging fruit and apprehending only low-level operators.
Inside India’s Broken War on Online Betting (AI-Initiative)
"First, enforcement must move upstream to dismantle organised networks. This requires coordinated action between central and state agencies, with dedicated task forces to identify and prosecute syndicates rather than merely apprehending low-level operators. Financial disruption is key: stringent monitoring of bank accounts, UPI channels, and suspicious transaction patterns through bodies such as the Financial Intelligence Unit-India can choke the flow of funds sustaining illegal betting," he suggested.
Vajpayeenot only proposes the above actionables but also calls for international cooperation to tackle the issue, with many platforms currently operating offshore further complicating the issue, taking it beyond India’s immediate jurisdiction. He reckons that the government must flex its technological muscle, ensuring real-time blocking of mirror sites, holding app stores accountable, and coordinated efforts with ISPs to reduce accessibility.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
