7 months ago
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The Supreme Court agreed to perceive connected Friday (October 17, 2025) a PIL filed by the Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC) seeking directions to the Centre to prohibit online gambling and betting platforms that allegedly run nether the guise of societal and esports games.
A seat comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran took enactment of the submissions of lawyer Virag Gupta, appearing for the CASC, connected Thursday and agreed to perceive the PIL connected October 17.
The plea has sought a absorption to Union Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology, Information and Broadcasting, Finance and Youth Affairs and Sports “to bash a harmonious mentation of provisions of Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 and laws made by State Legislatures, to prohibit online gambling and betting games operating successful the guise of societal and esports games.”
The petition, filed connected October 13 done advocates Virag Gupta and Rupali Panwar, names six respondents, including 4 Union ministries and the 2 starring app store operators, Apple Inc. and Google India Pvt. Ltd.
The CASC, represented by erstwhile Uttar Pradesh DGP Vikram Singh, and Shourya Tiwari, person urged the apical tribunal to nonstop the authorities to clamp down connected the proliferation of betting and gambling applications, which they assertion are inflicting wide societal and economical harm crossed the country.
“Betting and gambling are regarded arsenic unlawful activities successful the bulk of the States successful India. Several cases are contested successful precocious courts wherein affidavits were filed by the authorities and gaming platforms. Upon analysing the same, it is reported that much than 65 crore persons are playing specified games, creating an yearly concern of much than ₹1.8 lakh crores for these platforms successful India.
“Around fractional of the Indian colonisation is progressive successful playing online games, which is adversely impacting society, system and nationalist security. The devastating interaction of online betting and gambling is endorsed successful the objectives of the recently passed Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025. As per the IT Minister’s code successful Parliament, the Bill was introduced to guarantee the payment of nine and to forestall the superior evil that is creeping into society,” the PIL said.
‘Unchecked enlargement of online gaming’
The plea said this unchecked enlargement of online gaming has created what they picture arsenic a “national crisis,” affecting “half of India’s population” and starring to fiscal ruin, intelligence wellness issues, and adjacent suicides. The plea has sought a nationwide prohibition connected online gambling and betting platforms operating arsenic esports oregon societal games.
In 1 of the prayers, it has sought blocking orders nether Section 69A of the IT Act against each unlawful betting sites and apps.
The plea has sought directions to the RBI, NPCI, and UPI platforms to disallow immoderate monetary transactions involving unregistered gaming applications.
It has sought taxation betterment and probe into offshore gaming companies done Interpol, CBI, and ED, estimated to beryllium implicit ₹2 lakh crore successful unpaid taxes.
The PIL has besides sought directions for extortion of information of minors already collected by online gaming companies.
“Top cricketers and movie stars are endorsing specified unlawful games starring to cyber frauds, addiction, intelligence wellness upset and suicides. As per Union IT Minister, ‘The fraud and cheating algorithms are specified that it's intolerable to archer who is playing with whom… algorithms are opaque algorithms…defeat is definite wealth laundering is taking place...’,” the PIL said.
