Overview
- The Bihar Assembly unanimously passed the Bihar Gambling (Prohibition) Bill on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, formally banning offline gambling and online, app-based and virtual-currency wagering within the state.
- The law gives a broad definition of betting and gambling that covers staking money, digital or virtual currency, and lists specific games that the state may bar, including roulette, slots and other chance games.
- Under the bill police officers of the rank of sub-inspector or above may search or arrest without a warrant in public places, and accused gamblers face jail terms, fines and seizure of cash and digital accounts.
- Companies that operate, finance or manage gambling activity are held legally liable and the government has signalled extra measures to target promoters, advertisers and payment facilitators though outlets differ on the exact penalty levels reported.
- The move uses state authority over gambling to modernize a nearly 160-year-old law and raises questions about cross-jurisdiction enforcement, digital evidence and how freezes of bank and wallet accounts will be carried out in practice.