India blocks 8,376 websites associated with online betting and gambling

(AsiaGameHub) –   India has announced the blocking of a further 8,376 gambling and gaming websites, as offshore platforms remain a persistent issue for the nation.

Following the implementation of the 2025 Online Gaming Act, over 4,800 of these targeted URLs have been taken down. This legislation prohibits online gambling for money and is now a central component of the government’s strategy to fight online betting and gambling.

A survey by CUTS International in the Delhi NCR region last December revealed that the proportion of users on offshore sites rose from 68.3% before the ban to 82% after it, marking a 20.1% overall increase. The data further showed daily users of these platforms jumped from 3.4% of users pre-ban to 42.3% post-ban. Beyond more frequent access, users are also spending more time on these sites and increasing their monthly expenditures.

Individuals have circumvented Indian legal restrictions using mirror domains and local payment methods such as UPI. Another CUTS International survey in Tamil Nadu in early January found that engagement with offshore gambling sites there has grown by 15.2% since the ban, indicating their continued prevalence across many states despite a stricter legal framework.

The scale of the offshore gambling industry was highlighted during a MediaNama panel on the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (2025) in September 2025. Dhruv Garg, a Partner at IGAP, noted the industry’s total value is approximately $20 billion, stressing that this capital is leaving the country untaxed. He estimated the resulting government tax loss at over $4 billion, which exceeds the revenue generated by India’s legal gambling sector.