Curtain falls on online betting

In our country, many young men and women addicted to online gambling have lost lakhs of rupees and even ended their lives. What begins as a shortcut to make money quickly drags youngsters into a trap, from which many cannot escape. Since everything happens through online apps, the people giving and taking money never meet face-to-face. The central government tried several times to ban online gambling, but those attempts failed. Now, both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have passed a bill to ban online games in the country completely. Once the President signs it, the bill will become law. With this, a major danger affecting modern society will be removed.

In 2023, the central government had brought regulations for self-control in the online gaming sector. Although there was a provision to ban online gambling and betting, money-based games were not prohibited. As a result, the move was not successful. Gambling companies offered two types of games: “games of chance,” which depend on luck, and “games of skill,” which depend on the player’s ability. Courts banned games of chance but did not ban games of skill. This prevented the central government from stopping such companies. Now, both Houses of Parliament have passed a revised bill that closes these loopholes.

The new bill uses a single definition- “online money game.” This means that any game played with money, whether it depends on skill or chance, and promises to earn more money, will now be banned.

In India, companies like Dream11, MPL, and PokerBaazi were the main players in this sector. With the ban, the central government could lose around Rs 20,000 crore in tax revenue. Moreover, many people working in these companies may also lose their jobs. Still, banning gambling that traps and destroys the young generation is considered the right step. At the same time, the government must ensure that the shutdown of Indian companies does not lead to Chinese or other foreign illegal platforms taking over.

Under the new law, if such games are found to be running, both the financial institutions that facilitate the money transactions and the operators can face up to three years in jail, a fine of up to Rs 1 crore or both. Repeat violations will attract even harsher punishments. Platforms that continue to operate in violation of the ban can also be blocked using Section 69A of the IT Act. The government hopes that with this new law, it will finally be able to control the fast-growing online gaming sector.