The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centre’s response on a plea to ban betting and gambling apps being endorsed by celebrities, as it observed that events such as the IPL were being used to promote these illegal activities.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh said it would consider issuing notices to all states and Union Territories after examining the Centre’s response.
The court was dealing with a PIL filed by social activist K.A. Paul, who claimed that 1,023 people had died by suicide in Telangana after losing their money on gambling/betting apps.
“Yes… in the name of IPL, there are thousands and thousands who are betting,” the bench remarked when Paul alleged that several online influencers, actors and cricketers were promoting such online apps.
The bench initially observed that merely enacting a law might not be the
solution.
“People are voluntarily doing this (gambling)… principally we are with you, but probably you are under a misconception that it can be done through a law,” the bench remarked.
However, when the petitioner raised the issue of celebrities, including former Indian cricketers, endorsing some of these applications and an estimated 30 crore people in the country using these apps, the bench proceeded to issue a formal notice to the Centre.
Paul sought directions seeking a “complete ban on illegal betting applications/fantasy sports and enactment of a comprehensive” central law to tackle the menace, as betting/gambling currently come under the purview of state laws.
“Online betting, gambling and fantasy sports have led to an increase in financial distress, addiction, money laundering, illegal transactions, and even suicides among
the youths of India, as evidenced by multiple reports and investigations. The Enforcement Directorate and cyber crime divisions of Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam police have exposed illegal betting syndicates linked to political leaders, celebrities and mafia gangs, which have resulted in thousands of families being financially ruined,” the petition stated.
It added that betting was inherently a game of chance and not skill, and hence fell within the ambit of gambling, which was prohibited in many states under the Public Gambling Act, 1867.
“There is no uniform central legislation to regulate online betting, leading to legal ambiguity and exploitation by corporate entities such as Dream ll, MPL and A23, which aggressively market these apps using celebrities and sports personalities,” the petition submitted.