The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) on October 17 seeking the Center to ban online gambling and betting platforms allegedly operating under the guise of social and e-sports games.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran took note of the submissions of lawyer Virag Gupta, appearing for the petitioner – Center for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC) – on Thursday and agreed to hear the PIL on October 17.
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The petition sought to direct the Union Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology, Information and Broadcasting, Finance and Youth Affairs and Sports to “carry out a harmonious interpretation of the provisions of the Online Gaming Promotion and Regulation Act, 2025 and laws enacted by state legislatures to ban online gambling and betting games conducted under the guise of social and e-sports games”.
The petition, filed on October 13 through advocates Virag Gupta and Rupali Panwar, names six respondents, including four union ministries and two leading app store operators, Apple Inc. and Google India Pvt. Ltd.
The CASC, represented by former Uttar Pradesh DGP Vikram Singh and Shourya Tiwari, urged the apex court to order the government to stop the proliferation of betting and gambling apps, which they say are causing widespread social and economic harm across the country.
Betting and gambling are considered illegal activities in most Indian states. Several cases are being contested in high courts, where affidavits have been filed by the government and gaming platforms. Analyzing the same, it is stated that more than 65 million people play such games, generating an annual business of more than ₹1.8 crore for these platforms in India.
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“Approximately half of India’s population is involved in online gaming, which has an adverse impact on society, economy and national security. The devastating impact of online betting and gambling is supported in the objectives of the newly passed Online Gambling Promotion and Regulation Act, 2025. According to the IT Minister’s speech in Parliament, the bill has been introduced to ensure the welfare of the society and prevent serious evils from entering the society.”
The lawsuit said this unchecked expansion of online gaming has created what they describe as a “national crisis” affecting “half of India’s population” and leading to financial ruin, mental health problems and even suicides. The cause of action sought a nationwide ban on online gambling and betting platforms operating as esports or party games.
In one of the prayers, she sought blocking orders under Section 69A of the IT Act against all illegal betting websites and apps.
The plea sought directions to the RBI, NPCI and UPI platforms to ban any monetary transactions involving unregistered gaming apps.
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Through Interpol, CBI and ED, it has demanded tax refunds and investigations into offshore gaming companies estimated to owe more than ₹2 lakh crore in unpaid taxes.
The PIL also sought guidelines to protect the data of minors already collected by online gaming companies.
About half of India’s population is involved in online gaming, which has an adverse impact on society, economy and national security.
“Top cricketers and film stars support such illegal games which lead to cyber frauds, addictions, mental health disorders and suicides. According to the IT minister, “Algorithms of fraud and cheating are such that it is impossible to tell who is playing with whom…algorithms are opaque algorithms,” he said defeat takes money..’
