BJP Leader Wants Ban On Online Gambling Marketing

Senior BJP leader and ex-Karnataka minister S Suresh Kumar has reportedly called for a blanket ban on the promotion of online gambling. 

In a letter written to Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Kumar sought a ban on the promotion of online games, involving monetary bets, via advertisements, text messages, mobile calls and other forms of marketing.

Citing complaints from constituency members, Kumar’s letter called for a complete clampdown on such marketing activities in the interest of the youth and to protect them from falling prey to such games. 

“I am in receipt of verbal complaints from several friends and parents of residents from my own constituency as well as from other parts of Bengaluru that they have been getting both text messages on their mobile phones and unsolicited marketing calls trying to entice/force them to play online rummy by betting their money… Some people even told me that blocking these numbers had been of no use as these messages and calls keep coming from new numbers,” said the BJP leader in a letter which was accessed by ET. 

He also claimed that many of these platforms were luring users with welcome bonuses running into thousands of rupees to download and play the game. 

The sitting BJP MLA also pointed out that many people were losing money through such apps which was driving many towards crime and death by suicide. 

“There have also been reports of indebted people taking the extreme step of ending their lives, unable to survive the trauma and repay debts,” the letter said. 

Lens On Online Gambling

The former Karnataka law minister’s comments come barely a week after the union government directed tech giant Google to stop overseas online betting companies such as Betway, 1xBet and others from marketing their ads in the country. 

This also comes close on the heels of reports that the centre was working on regulation of online gaming space, including all real-money games. This is part of a tightening regulatory approach towards the online gambling space over concerns ranging from socioeconomic issues to financial security matters.

The regulatory chasm around the space has also added to the vagueness and opacity of norms governing online gambling in the country. The result has been the haphazard application of such norms by individual states, while the centre has so far not intervened.

In Kumar’s home state, the Karnataka government moved the Supreme Court against a recent judgement of the High Court that quashed key amendments to the Karnataka Police Act, 1963 that prohibited betting on online games.

In October, the Tamil Nadu assembly passed a Bill that banned online gambling games in the state. Close on the heels of that, an industry body by the name of e-gaming federation (SGF) said that it would drag the state to court over the new norms. 

Even as the debate over games of skill and chance continues to rage on, the space continues to flourish. The growth of the industry has spawned listed startup Nazara Technologies and a host of other unicorns, such as Games24x7, Dream11 and Mobile Premier League. 

With the number of online gamers in the country expected to soar to 657 Mn by 2025, the online gaming industry could see massive upheaval in the coming days. With the regulatory environment expected to streamline by next year, it remains to be seen whether lobbying by states for ban on such games will yield any result.