New Delhi, Gaming industry body AIGF has estimated that offshore illegal betting and gambling entities are causing a loss of US$2.5 billion per year to the national exchequer and has demanded immediate action from the government to curb such platforms.
CEO of All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), Roland Landers, said that offshore entities club various games along with illegal betting and gambling, due to which users fail to differentiate between legitimate gaming and illegal games.
He said that illegal offshore units harm users and these experiences could in turn harm the legitimate industry in India.
“Offshore illegal betting and gambling platforms are collecting US$12 billion in deposits a year, which means the government is losing at least US$2.5 billion in GS revenue,” Landers said.
He said offshore entities have increased advertisements during the current IP season to lure users and some of them have gone to the extent of not charging any GST or TDS on their platforms."Offshore entities often harm users and users get confused between illegal and legal games. The threat of illegal offshore betting and gambling platforms must be strictly curbed," Landers said.
He said the government should accelerate models like Self-Regulatory Organizations (SROs) to help curb the menace of illegal platforms.
“Offshore entities have no jurisdiction in India. They claim to be illegal but scrutiny by an institution like the SRO can help differentiate between legitimate and illegal platforms,” Landers said.,
The government has proposed to bring in SROs but this could not be done within the stipulated time limit of 90 days.
Some industry players had applied for setting up SROs.Landers said AIGF has not received any update on the application submitted by the players
CEO of All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), Roland Landers, said that offshore entities club various games along with illegal betting and gambling, due to which users fail to differentiate between legitimate gaming and illegal games.
He said that illegal offshore units harm users and these experiences could in turn harm the legitimate industry in India.
“Offshore illegal betting and gambling platforms are collecting US$12 billion in deposits a year, which means the government is losing at least US$2.5 billion in GS revenue,” Landers said.
He said offshore entities have increased advertisements during the current IP season to lure users and some of them have gone to the extent of not charging any GST or TDS on their platforms."Offshore entities often harm users and users get confused between illegal and legal games. The threat of illegal offshore betting and gambling platforms must be strictly curbed," Landers said.
He said the government should accelerate models like Self-Regulatory Organizations (SROs) to help curb the menace of illegal platforms.
“Offshore entities have no jurisdiction in India. They claim to be illegal but scrutiny by an institution like the SRO can help differentiate between legitimate and illegal platforms,” Landers said.,
The government has proposed to bring in SROs but this could not be done within the stipulated time limit of 90 days.
Some industry players had applied for setting up SROs.Landers said AIGF has not received any update on the application submitted by the players
