Govt set to ban 138 betting apps, 94 loan apps with Chinese links: Report

The government of India has began the process of banning and blocking nearly 138 betting apps and 94 lending apps with Chinese links on an 'urgent' basis, according to News18.com.

The communication was issued to Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) by the Union Home Ministry, according to News18.com. 

Six months ago, the Union Home Ministry had started the analysis of 28 Chinese loan lending apps. However, it was discovered that that 94 apps are available on e-stores and that others are working through third-party links.

According to News18, Telangana, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, alongwith central intelligence agencies had asked the Home Ministry to take action against such apps. 

The action has been initiated after confirming that these apps attract Section 69 of the IT Act as they contain “material which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India”, reported News18.

According to the report, several apps are now not available to download on smartphones but the betting apps and games are being downloaded through independent links or websites and even can be played online directly. Some of these also accept cryptocurrencies as payment.

The advisory issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) stated that since betting and gambling is illegal in most parts of the country, advertisements of these betting platforms as well as their surrogates are also illegal under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 2019, Cable TV Network Regulation Act 1995 and the IT Rules, 2021.