India blocks 300 more illegal gambling sites
Table of contents
- Indian authorities have blocked approximately 300 illegal betting and gambling websites and apps in their latest enforcement action.
- The cumulative total of platforms blocked to date stands at around 8,400, following the passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act in August 2025.
- The Act bans all money-based online games, including games of chance, skill, and hybrid formats, and exempts esports and online social gaming from its prohibitions.
The Indian government has blocked around 300 illegal betting and gambling websites and applications in its latest enforcement sweep, stepping up a crackdown that has accelerated since the passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act in August 2025.
The action targets a broad range of unauthorised platforms, from offshore casino sites to peer-to-peer betting exchanges serving Indian users through mirror sites and mobile apps.
The move brings the cumulative number of blocked platforms to approximately 8,400, according to reports.
What was targeted
Authorities confirmed the blocked platforms span several categories.
Offshore casinos offering slots and roulette-style games were included, alongside online sports betting websites and betting exchanges operating as peer-to-peer marketplaces.
Satta and matka networks, which have long existed in illegal and grey-market forms in India, were also targeted. Real-money card and casino gaming applications formed another significant portion of the blocked content.
Many platforms were found to be circumventing restrictions through mirror sites and dedicated mobile applications, a tactic commonly used by operators to maintain access in jurisdictions where their primary domains have been blocked.
The legislative framework
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act was passed by both houses of India’s parliament on 21 August 2025 and received Presidential assent the following day, 22 August 2025.
It established a stricter regulatory framework for the sector and gave authorities clearer enforcement powers to act against unlicensed platforms.
The law introduced a comprehensive ban on online money games, covering games of chance, games of skill, and any hybrid format involving monetary stakes. It also prohibits the advertising, promotion, and facilitation of such games.
Financial institutions and payment processors are barred from handling transactions linked to these platforms, a provision designed to cut off the revenue flows that sustain illegal operators.
The Act does not apply uniformly across all digital gaming. It explicitly supports esports as a recognised competitive discipline and permits online social gaming, both of which fall outside the money games prohibition.
The government has indicated its intention to promote growth and innovation in those segments under the oversight framework the Act establishes.
Enforcement in context
The cumulative blocking figure of approximately 8,400 platforms shows the pace of enforcement since the Act came into force.
Each successive action typically covers a mix of newly identified platforms and updated mirror domains of previously blocked sites, showing the adaptive tactics used by illegal operators to maintain access to Indian users.
For operators with exposure to Indian user traffic, the trajectory is unambiguous. The combination of platform blocking, payment processing restrictions, and advertising prohibitions creates a progressively difficult environment for unlicensed activity.
The government’s dual approach, pursuing illegal platforms on one side and supporting legitimate segments such as esports on the other, points to an intention to build a functioning legal market over time.
That path remains contested. The Act faces active constitutional challenges before India’s Supreme Court, which is hearing a consolidated batch of transferred cases from multiple High Courts.
How the judiciary rules will significantly shape whether a regulated online gaming and betting market can take root, and on what terms operators might eventually participate in it.
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