Page 3 - Betting

India hub for illegal online betting, sites got 5 bn visits in FY25: Report

The annual deposits in these illegal platforms is estimated to the tune of $100 billion, says the CUTS International report

People betting, gambling in name of IPL via online apps: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday said people were betting and gambling in the garb of Indian Premier League and sought the Centre's response on a PIL seeking to regulate betting applications. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh issued notice to the Centre on a plea filed by K A Paul, who claimed many children had died suicide after using online betting and gambling applications. The petitioner alleged several online influencers, actors and cricketers were promoting such online apps, luring children in the process. Paul said in case of cigarettes, packs had pictures indicating the ill-effects of smoking, but in case of betting apps, no such caution was publicised and even former Indian team cricketers promoted the applications during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). The bench said, "In the name of IPL, a lot of people are betting and indulging in gambling. This is a serious issue." Paul claimed of representing "millions of parents" whose children have died in the

SC seeks Centre's response on PIL seeking to regulate online betting apps

The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centre's response on a PIL seeking to regulate all online and offline betting applications. A bench of justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh issued the notice on a plea filed by K A Paul, who claimed that many children committed suicide after getting involved in online betting and gambling applications. The petitioner also alleged that a lot of online influencers, actors and cricketers were promoting these online apps due to which children were getting lured to betting. Paul, who appeared in person in the court, said, "I am here on behalf of millions of parents whose children have died in the past couple of years. More than 1,023 people committed suicide in Telangana, as 25 Bollywood and Tollywood actors/influencers played with the lives of the innocents." He also claimed that an FIR was lodged in Telangana against the influencers, as the matter violated fundamental rights. The bench said it cannot do much as these were aberrations of soci

'Youth at risk': SC issues notice to Centre on plea to ban betting apps

The Supreme Court asked the Union government to respond to a plea raising alarm over betting-related addiction, suicides and celebrity endorsements of gambling platforms

EaseMyTrip denies allegations against founder Pitti in Mahadev betting case

Travel booking platform EaseMyTrip on Wednesday denied allegations against its founder and chairman Nishant Pitti in the Mahadev app betting case, terming the claims "entirely baseless, misleading, and devoid of factual merit". Pitti has reportedly been accused of colluding with a network of operators who allegedly used proceeds from the illegal betting operation to manipulate the stock prices of 25 listed companies, purportedly in connivance with their promoters. The Enforcement Directorate in April searched the premises of Pitti as part of fresh multi-state raids in the Mahadev online betting app-linked money laundering case. The raids covered 55 locations including Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Indore, Jaipur, Chennai and Sambalpur in Odisha. "We categorically and unequivocally deny the allegations reported in connection with our Founder and Chairman, Nishant Pitti, concerning the so-called Mahadev app betting case. These claims are entirely baseless, misleading, and dev

Betting can never be a game of skill, Centre tells Supreme Court

Centre argues in SC that all betting, even on games of skill, qualifies as gambling and must attract 28 per cent GST under the law, regardless of game classification

EaseMyTrip denies ties to Mahadev betting app after ED conducts searches

As per information available in the public domain, the ED conducted searches at over 50 locations of various persons and corporates

Chhattisgarh police arrest 14 people over IPL betting through Mahadev apps

The Chhattisgarh police have arrested 14 persons from many states for allegedly accepting bets on the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) matches via Mahadev betting apps, a police official said on Wednesday. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is already investigating the Mahadev app betting scam in Chhattisgarh. Of 14 arrested, six hail from Chhattisgarh, three from Jharkhand, two from Madhya Pradesh and one each from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Raipur Range Inspector General of Police Amresh Mishra said. Eight of them were nabbed from Kolkata and six from Guwahati, he said. They were caught based on the statement of one Nikhil Wadhwani, who was arrested on April 13, for accepting online bets on IPL matches, he added . The police seized 67 mobile phones, eight laptops, four routers, 94 ATM cards, 15 SIM cards, 32 bank passbooks, three bank cheque books, one security camera, and betting records transaction records worth Rs 30 lakh from them, the official said. The arr

IPL betting boom strains Indian banks as UPI handles trillions in flows

The frenzy of real-time IPL betting is testing the limits of India's UPI network, as banks struggle to manage surging digital transactions and prevent payment failures

Will Jesus Christ return in 2025? Crypto enthusiasts place their bets

Believe it or not, people are placing real money on whether Jesus Christ will return to Earth in 2025. Let's understand what is driving this unusual speculation

IPL betting happening under Mumbai Police protection, claims Ambadas Danve

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra legislative council, Ambadas Danve, on Tuesday alleged that certain individuals are involved in betting on IPL cricket matches and Mumbai police were shielding them. Speaking in the Upper House, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said he would submit a pen drive containing details of several conversations and betting operations to the council chairman. He claimed, "I have a pen drive that contains phone call details of an application called 'Lotus 24' used for betting on cricket matches. Mehul Jain, Kamlesh Jain, and Hiren Jain have connections with Pakistani cricket players. It also involves senior police officers of the Mumbai police. The betting activities are taking place under the protection of Mumbai police." Raising concerns about crime statistics, he claimed 7,82,960 incidents were reported in 2024, according to the state police department. He alleged that the Maharashtra government had deliberately withheld crime reports for 2022-23 and ...

Vijay Devarakonda, Prakash Raj among 25 booked for promoting betting apps

The case was registered against Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Nidhi Agarwal, for alleged involvement in promoting betting apps

Significant improvement in tackling online gambling, betting, says Vaishnaw

The government on Wednesday said there has been a significant improvement in tackling online gambling and betting activities, with more than 1,000 betting and gambling websites banned in 2024. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, told the Lok Sabha that both state governments and the Centre have to work together to deal with such activities. Responding to supplementaries during the Question Hour, the minister asserted that whenever any instances of violations come to the notice of the central government, action is taken within the Constitutional framework. Various members raised concerns about online gambling activities and violent online games adversely impacting young people. According to Vaishnaw, 1,097 betting and gambling websites were banned in 2024 and with coordination among various agencies handling cyber-related crimes, there has been a significant improvement in dealing with such activities. Overall, a good legal framework is being made

Meta, Google must help combat India's illegal gambling, betting mkt: Study

A report by not-for-profit think tank Digital India Foundation states that the illegal gambling and betting ecosystem in India exceeds $100 billion annually and is growing at 30 per cent per year

My11Circle partners with JioStar as co-presenting partner for IPL streaming

Apart from this, My11Circle is also the official associate partner of the IPL, which is in the second year of its five-year association with the marquee tournament

Mahadev betting case: ED conducts fresh raids in Kolkata, freezes Rs 130 cr

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has conducted fresh searches in Kolkata in the Mahadev online betting-linked money laundering case and has frozen securities and deposits worth more than Rs 130 crore. The searches were conducted on Thursday, the agency said in a statement. The case pertains to an ongoing investigation by the federal agency in which a number of high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh are alleged to have been involved. During the searches conducted in Kolkata, securities, bonds and demat accounts worth Rs 130.57 crore were frozen under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED said. The agency has alleged that its probe into the Mahadev Online Book (MOB) gaming and betting app has shown the involvement of various high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh, the state where the two main promoters -- Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal -- of the app hail from. It has said the MOB app is an umbr

Mahadev app betting case: ED attaches fresh assets worth Rs 388 crore

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday said it has attached fresh assets worth about Rs 388 crore in its ongoing money laundering investigation into the Mahadev online betting case in which various high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh are alleged to have been involved. These include movable assets -- investment made by Mauritius-based company Tano Investment Opportunities Fund related to Dubai-based "hawala operator" Hari Shankar Tibrewal through FPI and FDI -- and properties in Chhattisgarh, Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh in the name of promoters of multiple betting apps and websites, panel operators and associates of the promoters, the federal agency said in a statement. A provisional order was issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on December 5 to attach these assets with a total value of Rs 387.99 crore, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said. Tibrewal is being investigated by the agency in this case. The ED has issued multiple such orders

Fairplay betting case: ED seizes Rs 219.7 cr in assets as probe expands

The probe is based on a complaint from Viacom18. ED investigations identified key figures behind Fairplay operating from Dubai, with assets acquired through proceeds of crime.

MPL-parent M-League's revenue increases 22% to $130 million in FY24

MPL's India revenues increased by more than 35 per cent to roughly $88 million for FY24

Actor Tamannaah Bhatia questioned by ED in HPZ token money laundering probe

Reports indicate that Tamannaah Bhatia was said to have received payments for a 'celebrity appearance' at an event for the app company, but there are no 'incriminating' allegations against her