DG of GST Intelligence blocks 357 links to illegal offshore gaming sites: MeitY
DGGI has also blocked nearly 2,400 bank accounts and frozen around ₹126 crore in two separate cases while investigating offshore entities
New Delhi: The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has blocked 357 links to illegal and non-compliant offshore online money gaming platforms under the Information Technology (IT) Act, minister of state for electronics and information technology Jitin Prasada told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
“So far, 357 websites/URLs of illegal/non-compliant offshore online money gaming platforms have been blocked by the DGGI, in coordination with MeitY, under the IT Act,” the minister said, responding to an unstarred question by Chavan Ravindra Vasantrao, Sudheer Gupta and Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane.
The finance ministry on January 6 empowered the additional/ joint director (intelligence) of DGGI headquarters to directly send takedown notices under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act to online platforms to block offshore online money gaming apps and websites that evade the goods and services tax (GST) and do not appoint a person within India pay the GST.
Also Read: Right to freedom of speech crucial, says Vaishnaw
The DGGI has also blocked nearly 2,400 bank accounts and frozen around ₹126 crore in two separate cases while investigating offshore entities that are involved in providing online gambling, betting and gaming services.
Additionally, the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) has issued 1,410 blocking directions for websites and apps related to online betting, gambling, and gaming between January 2022 and February 2025 under Section 69A of the IT Act.
Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on March 19 told the Lok Sabha that the Centre had blocked 1,097 illegal betting and gambling websites in 2024, up from 14 in 2022. On the same day, responding to a question by Congress lawmaker S. Jothimani, Vaishnaw said that MeitY issued 1,298 blocking directions related to online gambling and betting websites between 2022 and 2024. On December 4, Prasada informed the Lok Sabha in a written response that between 2022 and 2024, the IT ministry issued 692 blocking directions related to online betting, online gambling and online gaming websites and app.
Also Read: Use techno-legal mode to deal with new age crimes, Vaishnaw tells CBI
None of the written responses on April 2, March 19, and December 4 specified the number of URLs and apps that had been blocked.
A blocking order or direction sent to, say, an app store or an internet service provider like Airtel, could list multiple apps and URLs.
In November 2023, MeitY issued blocking orders against 22 illegal betting apps and websites including Mahadev Book Online, which is facing money laundering probe in Chhattisgarh. In February 2024, MeitY blocked 138 online betting apps and websites.
