Andhra Pradesh has passed a new law that changes the Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act 1974. The new law restricts more than 100 online casinos that operate in India. Although the YSR Congress government has said that the law is to protect the youth of India, gamers from all over India have shown concerns that it will restrict their online freedom.
The government has said that the law is intended to stop the youth of India from indulging in vices such as gambling.
Concerns over the repercussions of the changes to the Gambling Act
Many people believe that it invades their online privacy and claim that if they indulge in occasional gambling with their own money, then there is no harm. There is also a concern that, if left unmonitored, it may induce criminal activity such as money laundering.
Moreover, the law also forbids any type of online betting, which puts a stop to all kinds of sports betting such as gambling in the IPL. The Andhra Pradesh government will inform the citizens which games they consider safe enough to be played on the internet. Furthermore, the government warned that if anyone continued to play the restricted gambling games, then they would face legal charges.
However, the law is not fool-proof as Indian gamers were quick to find some loopholes. For example, the law does not cover playing online games for money and does not differentiate between games of skill and games of chance. As a result of this new bill, it is likely that many online casinos will be unable to operate in India.
