UP HC seeks govt reply on PIL seeking ban on online gambling
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In the PIL by a social worker, it was stated that more than 500 such websites are operating in the country
By Jitendra Sarin, Prayagraj
The Allahabad high court on Monday directed the central and the UP governments to file a counter affidavit (reply) on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking a ban on online gambling sites allegedly duping the public by manipulating results. The court also issued notices to executives of such websites allegedly owned by Chinese nationals and involved in online gambling.
The bench comprising acting chief justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and justice Rajendra Kumar passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Shimla Shri Tripathi, a social worker. The court fixed September 15 as the next date of hearing in the case.
According to the petitioner, more than 500 such websites are operating in India which offer gambling games like colour predicting game wherein a player has to place a certain amount to win an amount greater than the bet placed, guessing the outcome of the colour or the combination of numbers, within the window which opens every 3 minutes and freezes 30 seconds before the declaration of colour.
It was alleged in the petition that first such websites let players win easily to lure more players but later on when players in large numbers start putting larger bets, website owners start manipulating the results thereby ultimately most of the players lose in the game while website owners illegally gain from the games.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Shashank Shri Tripathi argued, “These websites also deduct huge amounts of money from winners in the name of tax on gambling claiming that the same will be paid to the government. Some digital payment apps are facilitating illegal gambling on gambling sites. Therefore, the government must take action against such apps.”
“Chinese citizens are owning such gambling websites. Websites are usually controlled from Chinese servers and are a planned scheme of fraud,” advocate Tripathi said.
