Indian States Could Push For Online Gambling Ban, Following Gujarat

Online gambling in India has flourished in recent times even though it is illegal in most states. Offshore operators have decided to target the lucrative Indian market and have had a free hand as there are not a lot of regulations to police and monitor the iGaming industry. Online gamblers in India have enjoyed a free hand until now but all that could change very quickly.

Gujarat is expected to lead the way. The state already has very strict anti-gambling laws in place with its Gujarat Prevention of Gambling Act.

Now, lawmakers seem to be considering of amending the act so that it covers online gambling and betting. This push for stricter laws is being supported by the Ahmedabad police since they think the restrictions on physical gambling are not enough.

In a statement, A K Singh, the police chief of Ahmedabad, said

Recently, the CID crime branch and home department officials had held a meeting to bring changes in gambling laws. It is tough as gambling in some part of the world is legal, while in India it is illegal. We are working on it and have proposed to bring changes so that people indulging in online gambling could be dealt in accordance with the law.

The local government has been very strict in developing and implementing prohibition laws for the betterment of the local citizens. Online entertainment has already taken a blow recently with Gujarat police enforcing a ban on online video games like PUBG because of their alleged bad influence on children.

Illegal Gambling Must Be Addressed

Even though Gujarat has banned gambling, there are numerous illegal gambling dens in the state and illegal gambling websites servicing people in Gujarat. The authorities have raided a number of illegal gambling operations recently, especially in Ahmedabad where there are numerous illegal gambling operators. These illegal gambling operators offer a variety of services from casino style games, iGaming and sports betting.

Illegal sports betting activity is now at fever pitch because the popular Indian Premier League (IPL) domestic T20 tournament is currently taking place. A cricket betting racket was recently busted with several individuals being arrested by the crime branch. This racket involved a betting app which was used to allow the operators to take online bets.

Gujarat is looking to ban online gambling and send a strong message to illegal operators. A number of other Indian states could soon adopt Gujarat’s strict stance on all forms of gambling as they are facing similar problems.