The Indian government has blocked access to 242 illegal betting and gambling websites, bringing the number of such platforms taken down to over 7,800, according to government sources quoted by Asian News International (ANI).
The government action follows Parliament passing the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (PROGA) in August 2025, which received presidential assent the same month. The law creates a new regulatory framework for online gaming, bans all forms of real-money gaming (RMG), defined as any game in which players stake money for monetary returns, and criminalises the operation, promotion, and financial facilitation of such games.
Following the enactment of PROGA in August 2025, authorities have stepped up blocking orders and other measures targeting unregulated and offshore gambling platforms that continue to operate despite the ban. Enforcement has extended beyond website takedowns to investigations into RMG companies that were previously active in the country. For example, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has pursued probes and asset attachments linked to alleged algorithmic manipulation and money-laundering operations at former RMG firms such as Probo, Dream11, WinZo, GamesKraft, and others, signalling a notable uptick in compliance and criminal actions after the RMG prohibition.
Is blocking an effective solution?
Meghna Bal, Director at Esya Centre, said the Centre’s stepped-up enforcement reflects intent, but warned that blocking alone is unlikely to deliver lasting results. “The Centre stepping up enforcement is a welcome step. However, I am uncertain whether the move will have any impact, because this is a hydra-headed problem. The moment these are blocked, mirrors or others will come up. These sites will continue to mushroom, if they haven’t already,” Bal said.
Her assessment mirrors the operational reality of India’s online gambling crackdown. Even after authorities blocked more than 1,500 betting and gambling websites before the ban, operators continued to evade enforcement by running mirror domains that host identical content and redirect users once primary domains are taken down.
Amol Kulkarni, Research Director at CUTS International, said the blocking of illegal gambling websites signals the government’s priority in addressing the issue. However, he cautioned that “past experience suggests that blocking may not be an effective solution.”
He added that while the government’s intent is in the right place, it needs to rethink its approach, noting that “a holistic approach to regulate the industry, educate users, and take stringent action against illegal operators is likely to bear fruit,” while blocking alone risks becoming “a temporary band-aid approach at best.”
Offshore Gambling Platforms Persist Despite Ban
Offshore betting and gambling platforms have grown significantly since India’s ban on real-money gaming, underscoring the continued…
Source link
Disclaimer
We strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our reporting and coverage. We blogs.grocliq.com want to be transparent with our readers about any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in our work. It’s possible that some of the investors we feature may have connections to other businesses, including competitors or companies we write about. However, we want to assure our readers that this will not have any impact on the integrity or impartiality of our reporting. We are committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news and information to our audience, and we will continue to uphold our ethics and principles in all of our work. Thank you for your trust and support.
Website Upgradation is going on for any glitch kindly connect at [email protected]
