Asia

India Govt Blocks 138 Betting Apps with Chinese Links

Published

3 years ago

February 8, 2023

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has started blocking around 138 betting apps with China links for their alleged involvement in money laundering, and posing threat to India’s financial security.

The crackdown on these platforms began after the government received an alert from a nodal officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs. MeitY issued blocking orders against these apps on an “urgent and emergency” basis.

“These 138 betting or gambling apps were engaging in money laundering, and were a threat to the financial security of our nation. These apps were being operated from offshore entities, mainly Chinese,” said a person familiar with the matter.

The government is exercising its power under Section 69 of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, which allows its agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt any digital information in special circumstances.

“The latest action is part of our overall crackdown on online betting activities. This, along with the online gaming rules, which would be notified shortly, would ensure no betting app operates on the internet, as part of our goal of a safe and trusted internet,” said a top government official.

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Niji Narayan

Niji Narayan has been in the writing industry for well over a decade or so. He prides himself as one of the few survivors left in the world who have actually mastered the impossible art of copy editing. Niji graduated in Physics and obtained his Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism. He has always interested in sports writing and travel writing. He has written for numerous websites and his in-depth analytical articles top sports magazines like Cricket Today and Sports Today. He reports gaming industry headlines from all around the globe.