Across India, on any given evening, glowing phone screens flash with gaming apps promising instant riches.
But those promises have for too many ended in debt, despair and even suicide, propelling the government to outlaw real-money gaming apps in a bid to stem a crisis officials describe as “spreading like drugs in society”.
On August 20, India’s parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, a sweeping piece of legislation that bans real-money gaming online. Hosting or enabling such services now carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and fines of up to 10 million rupees (US$114,000).
Users themselves will not be treated as criminals, but the enterprises behind the platforms – and the financial intermediaries that facilitate betting – will.
People are losing money, families are breaking
Officials say the decision reflects the scale of the damage.
