ASCI Flags Surge in Foreign Betting Ads; 318 Influencers Under Watch
Gambling In India: Illegal foreign betting platforms have grown rapidly in India in the recent past. Betting in this tax-free business was at its peak during the 2024 IPL season. 1.63 billion visits were made to four operators.
With the introduction of the new GST regime for legal skill games in October 2023, illegal foreign online betting platforms have grown at a very fast rate in India. Domestic operators are registered and adhere to laws such as GST and TDS. Foreign entities do not fall under the tax net. Foreign companies entice customers to play GST-free and tax-free games.
Stats indicate that 1.63 billion visits were made to four significant offshore operators (Parimatch, Stake, 1xbet, Battery Bet) in October-December 2024. Parimatch alone had 1.2 billion visits. It doesn't count APK downloads, use of VPN and mirror sites, indicating the number could be even larger. Google search trends for illegal betting apps (Dafabet, 1Xbet, Parimatch, 4Robet, Khelo24Bet) have rapidly increased since October 2023.
It peaked around the 2024 IPL season, indicating aggressive customer acquisition.