{"id":44695,"date":"2025-06-03T21:43:18","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T16:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=44695"},"modified":"2025-06-03T21:43:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T16:13:41","slug":"india-illegal-online-betting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/03-06-2025\/india-illegal-online-betting","title":{"rendered":"India Hub For Illegal Online Betting: CUTS International"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Security<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>According to a report by <strong>CUTS International,<\/strong> India has emerged as a major hub for illegal online betting, with unauthorized gambling platforms recording over 5 billion visits in FY25.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International<\/strong><br>&#8211; It is a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting social justice and economic equity across borders.<br>&#8211; It was established in 1983 in India, and has expanded its operations globally, with advocacy centers and resource hubs in countries like Zambia, Kenya, the UK, and Vietnam.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Findings of the Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Massive User Engagement:<\/strong> The top 15 illegal betting platforms, including 1xBet, Parimatch, Stake, Fairplay, and BateryBet, collectively logged <strong>over 5.4 billion visits in FY25<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Financial Scale:<\/strong> Annual deposits on these platforms are estimated to be around $100 billion, raising concerns about money laundering and tax evasion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regulatory Loopholes:<\/strong> Many of these platforms bypass KYC and age verification, exposing minors to gambling risks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Advertising &amp; Payment Issues:<\/strong> Offshore operators exploit India\u2019s advertising and payment infrastructure, making it easier for users to access these sites.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Online Gambling \/ Betting in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Online gambling refers to the <strong>practice of participating in gambling<\/strong> activities over the<strong> internet.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It involves placing bets or wagers on various games and events with the aim of winning money or other prizes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Online betting platforms in India continue to operate, often through <strong>offshore entities.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Money Laundering &amp; Fraud:<\/strong> Reports indicate that online gambling platforms are being used for money laundering and terror financing, prompting calls for stricter oversight.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Addiction &amp; Mental Health Issues: <\/strong>The rise of real-money gaming has led to concerns about gambling addiction, with cases of financial distress and mental health struggles among users.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jurisdictional Issues:<\/strong> The cross-border nature of online betting complicates enforcement, as many platforms operate from jurisdictions beyond Indian authorities&#8217; reach.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Misleading Advertisements: <\/strong>High-profile endorsements of betting platforms contribute to their widespread appeal.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) <\/strong>flagged hundreds of offshore betting ads, highlighting the need for stricter advertising regulations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Legal Framework in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Public Gambling Act, 1867:<\/strong> This central law prohibits gambling in most parts of India but <strong>does not explicitly address <\/strong>online betting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>State-Specific Laws:<\/strong> States like Goa, Sikkim, and Nagaland have legalized certain forms of gambling, including online betting, under regulated conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Supreme Court &amp; High Court Rulings:<\/strong> Courts have distinguished between games of skill and games of chance, allowing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/13-03-2025\/online-skill-based-gaming\"><strong>skill-based gaming platforms<\/strong><\/a> like fantasy sports while restricting pure gambling sites.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Information Technology Act, 2011:<\/strong> It was amended to include provisions related to online gambling which states that any website that offers online gambling services must be located outside of India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Consumer Protection:<\/strong> The <strong>Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)<\/strong> has issued advisories warning against the promotion of illegal betting platforms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.business-standard.com\/industry\/news\/india-hub-for-illegal-online-betting-sites-got-5-bn-visits-in-fy25-report-125060100301_1.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: BS<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">According to a report by CUTS International, India has emerged as a major hub for illegal online betting, with unauthorized gambling platforms recording over 5 billion visits in FY25.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Key Findings of the Report<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Massive User Engagement: The top 15 illegal betting platforms, including 1xBet, Parimatch, Stake, Fairplay, and BateryBet, collectively logged over 5.4 billion visits in FY25.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Financial Scale: Annual deposits on these platforms are estimated to be around $100 billion, raising concerns about money laundering and tax evasion.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Regulatory Loopholes: Many of these platforms bypass KYC and age verification, exposing minors to gambling risks.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Advertising &#038; Payment Issues: Offshore operators exploit India\u2019s advertising and payment infrastructure, making it easier for users to access these sites.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/03-06-2025\/india-illegal-online-betting\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44695"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44710,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44695\/revisions\/44710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}