New Delhi, March 15 : India is witnessing a sharp rise in illegal betting and gambling activities, with digital platforms attracting 1.6 billion visits in just three months across four major websites, according to a report by the Digital India Foundation.

The report highlights that organic search traffic alone drove 184 million visits to illegal betting sites, surpassing the 42.8 million visits generated through social media platforms. Additionally, mirror websites played a significant role, with three Parimatch mirrors alone accounting for 266 million visits.

Despite digital platforms imposing restrictions on gambling promotions, the report points out that enforcement remains inconsistent. Notably, advertisements on the Facebook Ad Network have grown significantly in recent years, amplifying the reach of illegal operators.

The report also highlights that illegal betting operators continue to thrive despite government interventions such as website blocking and public advisories. Advanced marketing tactics, seamless payment systems, and mirror sites have enabled these platforms to evade enforcement.

A key concern raised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance (2023) was the potential role of online betting sites in money laundering and terror financing. The report further notes that 1.098 billion visits originated from users directly entering URLs, reflecting the success of past marketing efforts.

Drawing insights from countries like the UK, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and the United States, the report suggests that website blocking alone is ineffective. Instead, these nations have achieved better results by combining website restrictions with marketing controls, payment blocking, and whitelists/blocklists.

To combat the rising threat, the report recommends that India adopt a holistic, ecosystem-based strategy to disrupt illegal betting networks. This approach should focus on limiting digital media promotions, strengthening financial regulations to prevent illicit transactions, and improving enforcement mechanisms to ensure sustained impact.