According to the Public Gambling Act of 1867, all forms of physical betting or gambling, such as going to an actual venue to place your bets, is considered illegal in India. However, online gambling is a bit of a grey area, as there are no central laws related to online betting. It comes down to separate states and their local laws to decide how they regulate online gambling.
The lack of central regulations is one of the reasons why illegal gambling, especially related to the Indian Premier League (IPL), is an ongoing issue in the country. Back in February, police arrested a kingpin of an online cricket betting racket. They seized INR3m and the equipment used to facilitate illegal betting, such as mobile phones, SIM, ATM and PAN cards. Suspects accounts containing INR7.3m were frozen.
And last year, police arrested 11 persons for placing bets on the ongoing Big Bash League T20 matches.
“A total of INR63,950 cash, 18 mobile phones, one laptop, a TV set, three bikes and two notebooks were seized from the accused,” said SEB Inspector Hanish. “We have seized the bank accounts operated for illegal transactions.” The police warn the communities not to get involved with illegal activities.
