Even the smallest penalties are stiff
The Andhra Pradesh Council of Ministers has imposed a ban on online gambling. Anyone found to be gambling online or operating an internet gambling site could face jail time.
This new restriction was announced by Transport, Information and PR minister Perni Venkataramaiah. The ban will go into effect via an amendment to the state’s 1974 Gaming Act.
Gamblers who are caught placing wagers online could face six months behind bars.
The stated goal of the ban is to counteract gambling addiction and to properly protect young people in the region. A first time offender of the law against operating an online gambling site will face jail time of a year. The penalty will rise to two years plus a fine for repeat offenders. Gamblers who are caught placing wagers online could face six months behind bars.
Andhra Pradesh is in the southeast India and is home to almost 50 million people.
Ruling party’s leader pleased
Somu Veerraju, Andhra Pradesh’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President, confirmed this new ban. He has only been in his current role since July and he has been calling for such a ban since May, saying that certain online gambling sites relating to online poker and rummy should not be allowed.
Veerraju believes that online gambling leads to financial hardship in the seventh-largest region in India, with young people getting easily addicted. Following the announcement of the new restrictions. Veerraju took to social media to express his support.
Banning of Chinese apps
The decision to make online gambling illegal comes after the national government banned a number of mobile apps built by Chinese developers. Tensions have been escalating as of late between the nations.
apps have been the subject of many complaints
The popular TenCent online video game, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), is one of the banned mobile apps. The Indian government says that these apps have been the subject of many complaints, some of which allege that personal data is being stolen.
The latest wave of bans saw about 188 Chinese apps blacklisted, including WeChat Work, Carrom Friends, and Livik. This is the third wave of bans, with 59 apps blocked in June and 47 in July.
