SC issues notice to states on plea seeking ban on betting apps

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to all the state governments on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking strict regulation on online and offline betting Apps.

A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi also sought a response from Google India, TRAI, Apple India, Dream 11 fantasy, Mobile Premium League, A23 Games, and others on the petition.

The bench also granted two weeks more time to the Centre to file its response in the petition and posted the matter for hearing on August 18.

The plea filed by evangelist KA Paul asked the Centre to enact a uniform central law prohibiting or regulating online and offline betting and gambling.

The petitioner said that it was unfortunate that top cricketers, actors and influencers are endorsing such betting, due to which children were getting lured to betting.

“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. The aggressive advertising by actors, cricketers, and influencers misleads youth into gambling, making them financially vulnerable and addicted,” he said while seeking directions to prohibit celebrity and influencer endorsements of betting Apps.

Paul said thousands of families across India have suffered economic losses due to unregulated betting.

The petition further submitted, “Investigations reveal that unregulated betting platforms serve as fronts for money laundering and black money transactions, violating Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.”

Paul further said that over 24 suicides in Telangana alone in the last 1.5 years have been directly linked to debt traps created by gambling platforms, with many more cases nationwide. Without immediate intervention, thousands of innocent people will continue to suffer irreversible financial and psychological damage, the petition stated.

(Source: ANI)