GST intelligence officers have blocked 357 websites of illegal offshore online gaming firms and attached about 2,400 bank accounts, the Union Finance Ministry declared on Saturday.
As the Indian Premier League 2025 season kicked off Saturday, tax authorities have intensified enforcement efforts to curb illicit gaming activities.
The ministry has also issued a public advisory, cautioning the public against engaging with offshore gaming platforms.
“It has been observed that many Bollywood celebrities and cricketers, along with WhatsApp, and Instagram influencers, are found endorsing these platforms, and, therefore, the public is advised to remain cautious and not engage with offshore online money gaming platforms as it may jeopardise their personal finances and indirectly support activities that undermine financial integrity and national security,” the finance ministry said in a statement.
Currently, around 700 offshore online money gaming/betting/gambling companies are under investigation by the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI) for tax evasion. These companies have been found evading GST by failing to register, concealing taxable transactions, and bypassing tax obligations.
Investigations further revealed that these offshore firms processed transactions through ‘mule’ bank accounts—fraudulent accounts used to disguise financial flows. In response, the DGGI has blocked 166 such accounts.
"So far, 357 websites/URLs of illegal/non-compliant offshore online money gaming entities have been blocked by the DGGI, in coordination with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)," the ministry said in a statement.
In two separate cases, authorities have also frozen nearly Rs 126 crore across approximately 2,400 bank accounts.
Additionally, investigations uncovered that some Indian nationals were operating offshore online gaming platforms such as Satguru Online Money Gaming Platform, Mahakaal Online Money Gaming Platform and Abhi247 Online Money Gaming Platform. These individuals facilitated online betting for Indian users while using mule accounts to collect payments. Three individuals have been arrested so far, with further investigations underway.
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