The Supreme Court has formally requested assistance from the Central Government concerning a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that aims to halt online gambling and betting operations nationwide. These platforms, the petition argues, often mask themselves as legitimate social or esports games.
A judicial bench, comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan, instructed the petitioner’s legal representative to formally submit a copy of the PIL to the central government’s counsel.
In an order issued on Friday, October 22, 2025, the Bench stated, "We kindly request V.C. Bharathi to thoroughly review the petition and provide assistance during the upcoming hearing. The matter is scheduled to be listed again in two weeks."
The Supreme Court is currently reviewing a petition initiated by the Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC), a prominent think tank. This petition calls for the government to ban online gambling and betting platforms that are reportedly disguised as social and esports games.
Furthermore, the plea urges the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and all UPI platforms to block financial transactions associated with unregistered gaming applications.
The petition also demands stringent tax recovery measures and a thorough investigation, involving agencies like Interpol, the CBI, and the ED, into offshore gaming companies. These companies are alleged to have evaded over ₹2 lakh crore in taxes.
It specifically requests that the Union Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology, Information and Broadcasting, Finance, and Youth Affairs & Sports collaborate to interpret the provisions of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, in harmony with state laws. The goal is to comprehensively prohibit online gambling and betting games masquerading as social or esports activities.
The aforementioned Act itself establishes a robust framework designed to foster safe digital recreational activities while simultaneously banning detrimental practices associated with online money-based games.
The petition identifies six entities as respondents, including four key Union ministries, along with major app store operators, Apple Inc. and Google India Pvt. Ltd.
CASC has strongly pressed the Supreme Court to instruct the government to curb the rampant spread of betting and gambling applications. They contend these apps are causing extensive social and economic damage throughout India.
The PIL highlights that "betting and gambling are widely considered unlawful activities across most Indian states." It further states that numerous cases in high courts, involving affidavits from both government and gaming platforms, reveal that "over 65 crore individuals are engaging in such games, generating an annual business exceeding Rs 1.8 lakh crore for these platforms in India."
The petition asserts a concerning statistic: "Approximately half of India’s population is participating in online games, which are negatively affecting society, the economy, and national security." It underlines that the significant harm caused by online betting and gambling is explicitly acknowledged in the objectives of the recently enacted Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025. According to the IT Minister’s parliamentary address, the Bill was introduced to safeguard societal well-being and combat a grave societal menace.
This unrestricted growth of online gaming, the plea warns, has spiraled into a "national crisis." It reportedly impacts half of India’s populace, resulting in widespread financial devastation, serious mental health problems, and tragically, suicides. Consequently, the petition calls for a nationwide ban on all online gambling and betting platforms that masquerade as esports or social games.
Among its requests, the PIL specifically seeks immediate blocking orders, enforced under Section 69A of the IT Act, targeting all illegal betting websites and applications.
Crucially, the petition also demands directives to ensure the protection of personal data belonging to minors that has already been gathered by online gaming companies.
The PIL further alleges that prominent cricketers and film stars are endorsing these illicit games, which contributes to widespread cyber fraud, addiction, severe mental health issues, and even suicides among users.
The petition claims that the sophisticated fraud and cheating algorithms embedded in these platforms make it impossible to identify actual players, leading to suspicions that online gaming is being exploited for extensive money laundering activities.