India may block more than 220 offshore gaming sites

The government is also considering blocking new domain names as they emerge.

India.- The Ministry of Information Technology is considering blocking the domains of more than 220 offshore online gambling operators of different sizes. According to G2G, authorities are also considering blocking new domains as soon they emerge in order to respond to operators who quickly change domain names to continue operating.

According to the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), offshore sites spend close to INR3,500 crore annually on advertising and promotion and an additional 500 crore on celebrity and influencer endorsements.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a new warning to TV channels, OTT (over-the-top) services and news websites, ordering them to stop broadcasting gambling advertisements. It observed that some media were not complying with the regulations.

The ministry said some offshore online betting platforms had started using news websites as substitute products for advertising betting platforms on digital media. It advised that betting and gambling is illegal in most parts of India, as are advertisements for overseas online betting and gambling platforms.

To date, apart from the Supreme Court’s precedent on skill-based gambling, there is no federal statute to govern India’s gambling industry, with each state taking its own stance on the issue. 

A panel set up by prime minister Narendra Modi has concluded that India should establish a regulatory body for online skill games. The regulator would classify which online games as based on skill or chance, implement rules to block prohibited formats and enforce stricter gambling regulations.