Hyderabad: A five-member special investigation team (SIT) has been constituted to conduct a thorough investigation into online betting cases in Telangana and submit a report in three months.
The SIT team will function under the overall supervision of the director general, CID/additional DG, ClD. It will study the existing ecosystem that enables online betting and recommend necessary reforms to curb the activities.
In addition, the team may seek assistance from any suitable officer, financial expert, law officer, auditor or forensic investigation specialist, as required for the purpose of investigation.
Speaking to the media on Monday, March 31, the director general of police (DGP) Jitender said that apart from investigating the cases, the SIT will also look into the dimensions of the betting and gaming apps and how they are affecting the citizens of Telangana.
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“Since January this year, consultations at various levels, including with the federation for online betting apps and gaming apps, have been conducted. We have given an advisory to them not to operate in Telangana. And they should do the geo-fencing in Telangana so that one in the state can have access to these apps. We need to understand how many apps are following and how many are not. If somebody is not following, then we can take criminal action against them,” the senior police officer said.
The DGP said the investigation will ascertain how many apps are operating in the state in spite of the ban. He said all legal and financial implications and operational issues need to be understood.
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How will SIT prevent online betting?
The SIT will evaluate legal provisions, regulations, and restrictions that can be introduced to prevent the organising, promotion, and advertising of online betting/gaming and suggest legal action.
It will study the role and responsibilities of Union and state agencies, including the IT department, GST authorities, among others, in regulating online gaming activities. The SIT will propose suitable measures to strengthen enforcement against such activities.
Among the other terms of reference, the probe team shall recommend policy and regulatory changes for payment systems and financial institutions to detect and block transactions linked to illegal betting and gambling operations and submit these recommendations to the Reserve Bank of India.
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Zero tolerance against online betting apps
The idea of the government is that there should be ‘zero-tolerance’ against betting and gaming apps, DGP Jitender said.
Police in Hyderabad have recently registered cases against illegal betting apps and promoters following complaints that these applications lured the youth and general public to make easy money and eventually led them to complete financial and psychological breakdown.
The cases were registered against the managements of the illegal betting apps/other applications, a few film actors and several social media influencers for allegedly promoting online betting apps through social media platforms under various provisions of the Gaming Act, BNS and IT Act.
Some film and TV actresses and social media influencers have recently appeared before the police in connection with the investigation into online betting apps.
(With inputs from PTI)
