India’s government has continued to combat the country’s black market, blocking approximately 300 websites promoting illegal gambling and betting.
According to the Economic Times, online sports betting sites, casino apps and betting exchanges were among the platforms targeted by the government action.
The government has taken action against over 8,400 websites and mobile apps, with it reporting that it has blocked 4,900 since the passage of the Promotion and Regulations of Online Gaming Bill 2025 in August 2025.
The decision to take such drastic action was made over concerns surrounding the societal impacts of the sector. However, the speed at which it was passed caught many in the industry by surprise.
In the days and weeks after the landmark ruling, major domestic operators like Dream11 and the Mobile Premier League, as well as international firms such as Flutter, were forced to withdraw their RMG operations.
In the case of Flutter, the firm later revealed that the ruling had led to a $556m impairment charge related to pulling its Junglee product from the country, as well as a significant loss in future revenue.
Following the decision, Flutter raised concerns that the ruling would force players to the black market and recent data from the All India Gaming Federation has demonstrated the continued appetite for gaming within India’s population.
The organisation’s report revealed that unlicensed betting platforms received over 1.6 billion visits over three months.
Although authorities in India have taken action to block access to such sites, this latest data demonstrates how these efforts are failing to have the desired effect. In particular, illegal operators are utilising mirroring websites to enable users to circumvent blocking protocols.
The researchers suggested that establishing a resource that lists legal and illegal platforms may be an effective way of giving players a greater understanding of whether they have strayed to the black market.
“These lists should be continuously revised and, where possible, made publicly accessible in a user-friendly format, enabling consumers to easily distinguish between legitimate and illicit operators,” added the report.
iGaming Expert Analysis: The stark numbers underline that the door has been opened for the black market following drastic and abrupt regulatory measures by the Indian government last year. Given the size of the market and the flexibility of unlicensed operators, this is a battle that is going to be a tough and arduous one for the government.
