A Thriving Concern
Digital India Foundation head and co-founder Arvind Gupta gave a rundown of the magnitude of the illegal gambling crisis. He detailed that while unauthorized gambling operations generate over $100 billion, their legal counterparts bring in about $5 billion – a staggering 20x difference.
According to Gupta, the betting black market enjoys unprecedented success thanks to the connectivity and marketing platforms provided by big tech and social media. He explained, “Despite the government’s stringent advisories and outright bans, these clandestine networks ingeniously circumvent the laws using a slew of tactics including the deployment of mirror sites, surrogate advertising, and alternative payment mechanisms to keep their operations afloat.”
A Sophisticated Illicit Network
Even with laws in place to regulate gambling, the Digital India Foundation study uncovered different measures underground networks use to adapt and continue operations, especially during the busy IPL season.
With the use of digital advertising and effective promotional strategies, illegal gambling sites pull in traffic from social media, direct visits, and organic searches. Also, these platforms make their financial flows untraceable by using cryptocurrencies, international payment processors, and mule accounts.
Calls for An Industry Overhaul
Digital India Foundation calls for immediate action to combat the alarming growth of illegal gambling. It suggests an overhaul of the country’s enforcement approaches and progress beyond simply blocking websites, which has limited effectiveness.
Gupta highlights the need for big tech companies like Google, X, and Meta to collaborate with social media and digital ad platforms to oversee released content. This would help identify and flag rogue networks and betting material. He emphasized, “This is not just a national problem—it requires a global effort. Law enforcement agencies across countries must collaborate to track and dismantle these betting syndicates.”
