The economic and social well-being of a digitally active India is under attack. And the culprits are offshore online gambling and betting websites, which are operating from beyond the jurisdiction of India’s laws. The two major adverse effects of them operating unchecked are - first, Indians are spending their hard-earned money on these websites and quite simply, this is money leaving Indian shores, and second, by functioning from foreign lands, these companies do not have to have an effective redressal system in place, which legit businesses need to have.
So what’s the solution? The union authorities need to bring these digital products under the ambit of section 69A of the IT Act, so that they can oversee and regulate such businesses and keep a check on any unwanted activities that directly or indirectly put Indians at risk.
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