The government of Maharashtra has recently issued a strong warning against illegal online gambling again, and urged the central government of India to expedite the introduction of more robust national regulations to address the risks posed by the intertwining of digital gambling, financial fraud, and cybercrime.
This call originated from a legislative inquiry. Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister and Minister of Home Affairs of Maharashtra, revealed in his response that from 2023 to 2025, the state recorded a total of 97 cases of illegal online gambling and betting. Among these, the financial capital Mumbai had the highest number, with 38 cases. Chandrapur and Nagpur rural areas each reported 11 cases, Yavatmal had 9, and the remaining cases were distributed in Thane, Palghar, and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Fadnavis pointed out that although the state's cyber department is actively conducting publicity and training to enhance law enforcement officers' ability to combat cybercrime, the effectiveness of law enforcement is still greatly reduced due to the lack of clear national laws against online gambling. "Currently, we can only act according to some non-mandatory guidelines in the 2021 Information Technology Rules, but this is far from sufficient," he said.
It is reported that during a recent raid in the town of Gugus in Chandrapur, law enforcement officers discovered a betting network organized using the Kingexch.com platform, and another operation in the suburbs of Nagpur at Dahagaon-Rajgurunagar, where multiple mobile phones and television devices used for betting were seized.
Yogesh Kadam, the Minister of State for Home Affairs of Maharashtra, also emphasized that the state is drafting a unified policy covering online gambling, financial fraud, and cyber fraud, hoping to build a more stringent mechanism through legislative means. He stated: "The current situation reflects our need for a thorough institutional reform of online gambling, which must rely on the central government to enact more binding laws."
As online gambling platforms gradually penetrate various parts of India, especially in the absence of clear regulation, Maharashtra's call reflects the pressure and challenges faced by local governments in the field of cyber governance. This trend also highlights the urgency of establishing a national legal framework and unified regulatory standards.
