The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Central government on a public interest plea (PIL) seeking stringent regulation – or outright prohibition – of online and offline betting and gambling apps.

A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh sought the Centre’s response and directed the petitioner to serve a copy of the plea to Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

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The PIL by Dr. K A Paul, an evangelist, who personally appeared before the court, urged the Centre to frame a uniform central legislation banning or strictly regulating all forms of online and offline betting platforms.

Voicing grave concern over the rising influence of betting apps among youths, Dr. Paul said, “I am here on behalf of millions of parents whose children died in the past couple of years. More than 1,023 people committed suicide in Telangana alone due to the betting menace.”

He highlighted that top cricketers, Bollywood actors, and social media influencers were actively endorsing betting apps, leading children and youth into addiction and financial ruin.

“The aggressive advertising by celebrities misleads youth into gambling, making them financially vulnerable and addicted,” he submitted.

He further sought directions to prohibit celebrity endorsements of such platforms.

In response, Justice Surya Kant observed that societal aberrations cannot be entirely eradicated through legislation alone.

“Just like we can’t stop people from committing murder, a law cannot prevent people from indulging in betting or gambling,” the Bench remarked.

The petition stated that unregulated betting platforms are frequently used as fronts for money laundering and black money transactions, thus violating provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

Dr. Paul cited alarming statistics, including over 24 suicides in Telangana in the past 18 months allegedly linked to gambling-related debt traps, with numerous cases reported nationwide.

The petition urged the court to direct the government to act urgently, warning that thousands of families continue to face irreversible financial and psychological damage due to the unchecked proliferation of betting apps.