India: Andhra Pradesh bans online gambling

The prohibition gained political support after recent suicides related to gambling debts.

India.- The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly has voted in favour of amending the state’s Gambling Act of 1974 to ban online gambling.

AP Bill 2020 amends current legislation to make online gambling a criminal offence.

The amendment imposes imprisonment for up to one year and fines of Rs5,000 (US$67.84) for first-time offenders, and up to two years in jail and a fine of Rs10,000 (US$135.68) for every subsequent offence. Offenders will not be granted bail.

The ban covers card games, dice games, tables games, cloth boards, or any other means to gamble in a virtual or intangible mode, including electronically.

The prohibition gained political support after recent suicides related to gambling debts.

Before voting, legislators said they feared online gambling could increase organised crime such as money laundering and fraud.