Overview

• Illegal platforms recorded over 5.4 billion visits between April 2024 and March 2025, with user deposits approaching $100 billion.
• Many sites bypass KYC and age-verification protocols, even offering cash-on-delivery options that allow minors to gamble without digital payment methods.
• Sixty-six percent of traffic arrives via direct URLs or saved links, boosted by celebrity endorsements, billboards and SEO-driven campaigns.
• Offshore operators exploit gaps in India’s payment systems and advertising networks, heightening consumer safety and national security risks.
• The Ministry of Finance has blocked 357 sites and opened probes into nearly 700 offshore entities, but CUTS calls for a comprehensive national regulatory framework and inter-ministerial task force.