BENGALURU: Following the ban on 8,750 betting applications across the country, Karnataka State Cyber Command has written letters to 127 web-hosting agencies seeking their cooperation in monitoring and blocking other gambling websites and newly emerging platforms. The Command Centre, with the support of 37 Internet Service Providers (ISPs), has blocked several websites and URLs in five days, before the IPL final.
Speaking to the TNIE, ADGP of Cyber Command, M Chandrashekar said that the Command Centre will carry out the mission in three phases. In the first phase, the sleuths have blocked the URLs and will continue to monitor new URLs and domains. In the second phase, the police are contacting web-hosting agencies, the intermediaries under Indian law, to ensure that such illegal activities do not take place or provide hosting services to illegal online gambling and betting applications.
He said that discussions will be held with all intermediaries, as the third phase of the operation is to trace the proceeds of betting activities and identify the real perpetrators and beneficiaries behind the betting operations.
A source said that there is a provision called ‘safe harbour’ for intermediaries, under which they enjoy legal immunity. “If there is an illegal website, they may claim that they have no information about it.
However, the police are now informing them not to host such applications and will take legal action if they failed”. Most of the websites are hosted outside the country, and the police are yet to receive replies from them. The Internal Security Division and private players have also helped disrupt the betting operations, a source added.
Chandrashekar added that this time the police blocked the mirror domains of betting applications, making it harder for operators to continue their activities. Operators often alert users to place bets through their other applications using the same user IDs and passwords. For example, 1xBet, one of the major betting brands, operates through more than 1,000 URLs under names such as ‘1x Partner’, ‘1xBit.com’ and others.
The ADGP urged citizens to alert the Cyber Command if they come across any illegal betting applications operating online.