Offshore Gambling Sites Attract Over 5.8 Billion Visits in India

Massive Traffic to Unregulated Operators

According to the CUTS report titled Fixing the Odds: A Policy Blueprint for Curbing Illegal Online Gambling in India, the top 15 offshore platforms, including names like 1xBet, Parimatch, Fairplay, and BaterBet, collectively outranked mainstream sites in traffic rankings during the reporting period. In March 2025 alone, Parimatch registered more user visits than Amazon, Wikipedia, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Quora, and Netflix.

The report attributes this massive reach to aggressive advertising, SEO optimization, and the creation of over 40 mirror sites that bypass government geo-blocking efforts.

Financial Scale and User Incentives

CUTS estimates that illegal offshore gambling platforms are processing deposits worth USD 100 billion annually, aided by their exemption from India’s 28% GST and TDS deductions. These platforms attract users with cashback offers, instant gratification rewards, and easier onboarding than licensed operators.

The platforms also reportedly target young adults, high spenders, and at-risk users with psychologically manipulative techniques. These include the use of casino-like multiple screen spins, hyper-personalized ads, and offers disguised as “safe” gaming opportunities.

Payment Channels and Advertising Under Scrutiny

The report identifies referral traffic and search engine rankings as key sources of customer acquisition, with 810 million visits attributed to referral-based promotions alone. Search ads and SEO have enabled illegal sites to remain visible despite enforcement attempts.

CUTS also points fingers at advertising channels like TV, billboards, celebrity endorsements, and messaging apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp for playing a major role in pushing illegal gambling to Indian consumers.

The report calls these practices “duplicitous” and urges authorities to focus on disrupting payment networks that support unlicensed operators. By targeting payment processors – rather than trying to block websites directly – the government could deliver a more effective blow to the ecosystem.

Public Health and Regulatory Risks

The report warns that unlike licensed Indian operators, which are mandated to offer safer gaming tools like deposit limits and timeouts, illegal operators exploit user vulnerabilities. Their promotions and game design elements often drive compulsive gambling behaviors, leading to a higher risk of addiction.

Further, illegal platforms are cited for enabling unregulated cross-border transactions and possibly facilitating money laundering. Payment gateways, cryptocurrencies, and intermediaries like Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and RTGS are reportedly used to circumvent scrutiny.

Policy Recommendations

CUTS International concludes that India needs to move beyond URL blocking, focusing instead on:

• Payment intervention: Disabling deposits and withdrawals to known unlicensed platforms.

• Stronger ad regulation: Banning celebrity endorsements and advertisements on mass media.

• Search engine cooperation: Pressuring platforms like Google to delist illegal gambling operators.

Without these steps, says the report, India’s fight against illegal online gambling will remain ineffective.