The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to all state governments, major tech platforms, and relevant regulatory bodies on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking stringent regulation of online and offline betting applications, which allegedly lure and addict youth, often pushing them into severe financial distress, debt traps, and even suicides.
A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi also sought responses from Google India, Apple India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), and leading gaming and betting platforms including Dream11, Mobile Premier League (MPL), and A23 Games.
The Court granted the Union Government two additional weeks to file its reply. The Centre had earlier been served notice but had not submitted its response. The matter is now posted for further hearing on August 18.
The PIL was filed by evangelist Dr. K.A. Paul, who urged the Court to direct the Centre to enact a uniform central law either banning or stringently regulating all forms of gambling and betting—both online and offline—citing serious public health and financial ramifications.
Sounding alarm over the rapid expansion of betting platforms, Paul said, “I am here on behalf of millions of parents whose children have died in the past couple of years. More than 1,023 people committed suicide in Telangana alone due to the lure of such betting platforms.”
He criticized aggressive advertising campaigns led by top Bollywood celebrities, cricketers, and social media influencers, arguing that such endorsements mislead youth into mistaking betting as harmless or skill-based gaming.
“This makes them financially vulnerable and addicted,” the petition stated.
The plea further called on the Court to prohibit celebrity and influencer endorsements of betting apps, stating that such promotions glamorize and normalize gambling, especially among impressionable young minds.
Quoting state-level data, the petitioner noted that over 24 suicides in Telangana in the last 18 months have been directly linked to debt traps triggered by gambling losses.
“Thousands of families across India have suffered irreversible economic losses due to unregulated betting. Without immediate intervention, more lives and livelihoods will be destroyed,” Paul warned.
The PIL also alleged that many unregulated betting platforms serve as fronts for money laundering and illegal financial transactions, in violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
It emphasized the urgent need for a uniform nationwide law, noting that the current patchwork of state-level regulations has allowed foreign-based operators and domestic syndicates to exploit regulatory loopholes.
The Supreme Court’s decision to seek responses from major digital platforms and the Centre signals growing judicial concern over the unchecked proliferation of betting apps and their wider socio-economic consequences.