Stay away from these apps!

The central government has recently ordered the blocking of Mahadev betting app, along with 22 other illegal applications and websites which facilitated illegal betting activities, under Section 69A of the IT Act. In another action, 2 people involved in a match fixing syndicate were arrested. They were running operations via Mahadev Khiladi, a subsidiary of Mahadev App.

Through Mahadev gaming app, users could bet on poker, card and chance games, and other sports like badminton, tennis, football and cricket.

At present, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is going on. Naturally, the betting market is also raging. Alongside these platforms, fantasy gaming platforms like Dream11, MPL, Vision11 and MyFab11 also allow people to earn money via betting on potential playing 11 and other equations.

According to a report by The Week, 40% of internet users in India actively bet. As per another report, 80% of Indian adults engage in betting at least once a year.

Now, let’s understand how these betting apps work. You are required to make an account on these apps. After this, whenever there’s a live match going on, you will receive notifications. You can also pick your potential playing 11, and bet on projected score, centuries, wickets and more. Users can place their bets via credit/debit cards, internet banking, UPI and other online payment mediums. While these apps function fine, just like Mahadev App, most of them have been found involved in illegal activities.

In India, laws regarding betting remain unclear. This is because no clear distinction has been made between game of skills and game of chance. Under Indian law, while it is legal to bet on games of skill, it is illegal to bet on games of chance. What is tricky is deciding which games fall under the domain of skill or chance.

As per the Supreme court ruling, rummy has not been considered a game of chance. That is because rummy demands a certain level of skill set from the players. And whichever games require players to possess a special skill becomes a game of skill, thereby making betting legal. However, the future of betting apps is entirely dependent on payment platforms and state governments. Any app can be blocked, since the legal situation is not clear. That is why, always be cautious while using such betting apps.