Whitepaper links illegal gaming to national security in India

The worrying link between illegal gaming businesses and dangers to national security is highlighted in a thorough whitepaper on illegal gambling in India. The solution proposed in the study is a local e-gaming market that is regulated. Lt. Gen. Vinod G. Khandare and Vinit Goenka co-wrote the paper, “Illegal Gaming and Betting in India: Risks, Challenges, and Responses,” which highlights the serious effects of illicit gambling on the country’s economy, security, and data sovereignty.

According to the paper, India’s illegal betting sector is estimated to be worth $100 billion a year, and immediate regulatory action is recommended. It explains how offshore companies exacerbate risks to the economy and security, especially when they involve children, by using intricate financial networks and benami (money mule) accounts to transfer money outside.

The study describes how online bookmakers circumvent laws that make monitoring and enforcement more difficult by utilizing cryptocurrencies and offshore servers. It emphasizes how these organizations use the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in India to route money through fictitious inducements, delivering money to specific people and organizations in the end.

Central agencies in India have discovered that certain betting apps secretly send user data to servers located abroad, thereby presenting significant threats to national security. Alarms are raised in light of the current border tensions by these apps’ ability to access cameras, transfer backup data, and record user activities.

Property or transactions made under a false identity or another person’s name that are utilized by offshore corporations to launder money illegally are referred to as “benami.”

Because these platforms handle sensitive data and financial activities, they also present serious cybersecurity risks. The whitepaper highlights the growing usage use cryptocurrency in illicit gambling, encouraging anonymity and making law enforcement more difficult.

The study draws attention to how illicit operators circumvent crucial KYC and age verification procedures in order to take advantage of children. Paying with cash to top up gaming wallets is possible on offshore services like Parimatch, which makes it easier to take advantage of young consumers.

The whitepaper suggests creating a regulated domestic e-gaming sector, accepting the limitations of outright bans, and identifying illegal gambling as a national security danger as ways to address these issues. This would reduce the outflow of funds while providing monitoring, transparency, and consumer protection.

The research recommends that supporting the domestic gaming business can have major economic and geopolitical advantages, and it calls for increased law enforcement efforts to find and prosecute offshore operators. By offering channels, financial aid, tax benefits, and a India has the skilled labor force to take advantage of the expanding global gaming sector.

In order to tackle illegal gaming and betting in India, the authors hope that their results and proposals would spark policy conversations and legislative initiatives.

Original Story by: AGB