Across India, on any given evening, glowing phone screens flash with gaming apps promising instant riches.
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But those promises have for too many ended in debt, despair and even suicide, propelling the government to outlaw real-money gaming apps in a bid to stem a crisis officials describe as “spreading like drugs in society”.
On August 20, India’s parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, a sweeping piece of legislation that bans real-money gaming online. Hosting or enabling such services now carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and fines of up to 10 million rupees (US$114,000).
Users themselves will not be treated as criminals, but the enterprises behind the platforms – and the financial intermediaries that facilitate betting – will.
People are losing money, families are breaking
Officials say the decision reflects the scale of the damage.
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