Government of India has blocked 242 illegal betting and gambling websites in its latest crackdown on unauthorised online gaming platforms, taking the total number of such sites shut down to more than 7,800, government sources said.
The action follows the implementation of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA), which came into force on Oct. 1, 2025, and bans all real-money gaming, betting and gambling activities nationwide. PROGA does not ban all online gaming. It explicitly allows esports and social online games that do not involve money wagering, subject to guidelines.
Government officials said enforcement has intensified since the law took effect, with authorities increasing monitoring of online platforms, digital advertisements, social media promotions and influencer marketing linked to illegal betting. Many of the blocked websites were found offering real-money wagering services in violation of the Act.
The legislation received presidential assent from Droupadi Murmu in August 2025 after being passed by both houses of Parliament earlier in the year.
Officials stressed that enforcement action is aimed at operators rather than users. Players participating in money-based online games will not face penalties, they said, with action instead targeting platform operators, advertisers, promoters and financial backers of illegal betting sites. Penalties under the law include financial fines and other legal measures.
PROGA also provides for the establishment of a National Online Gaming Commission to oversee licensing, compliance and grievance redressal for permitted online gaming platforms. The law overrides earlier state-level rules, creating a uniform national framework for regulating the sector.
Authorities acknowledged challenges in tackling illegal operators, many of whom use tactics such as “URL switching” to evade detection by quickly shifting to new domain names. Offshore betting platforms have also been accused of using so-called mule bank accounts to siphon funds out of the country.
Former industry executives and policy experts have estimated that illegal betting volumes in India run into hundreds of crores of rupees per month, underscoring the scale of the problem.
Government officials said the crackdown reflects growing concern over the impact of illegal online betting on users, citing risks such as financial losses, addiction and exposure of minors. The latest action, they added, highlights the government’s focus on protecting users, particularly young people, from the social and financial harms linked to unlawful online gambling.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/01/20/117230-india-shuts-242-illegal-betting-and-gambling-websites-under-online-gaming-law
