The Union government blocked 242 illegal betting and gambling websites on Friday, January 16, 2026. This moves the total number of such sites blocked to 7,800, an official confirmed. This action follows India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which banned all real money gaming and gambling. The law prohibits games where users bet money hoping to win or lose deposits. The Act surprised many, passing swiftly through Parliament. Former industry leaders and lawyers argued against a complete ban, worried that illegal and offshore betting platforms would grow. Reports suggest illegal betting in India runs into hundreds of crores of rupees monthly. Even before the ban, illegal platforms thrived, partly because they avoided GST and government oversight. Year 2024 alone saw over 1,000 URLs blocked by the government. Yet, battling these illegal operators remains tough. The policy group Digital India Foundation warned in 2025 about "URL switching," where websites shift domains quickly to escape detection. Illegal operators also use "mule" accounts linked to ordinary Indians to move money out of India, making recovery by authorities difficult. This latest wave of blocking sites is part of India’s strong move to curb real money gaming and illegal betting, aiming to enforce the new law strictly.