India’s Real-Money Gaming Ban Drives Users to Unregulated Offshore Platforms, Says Report

India’s nationwide ban on domestic real-money gaming has not reduced gambling activity but has instead triggered a massive shift toward unregulated offshore platforms, according to the report by CUTS International.

The report further stated that offshore usage has surged to 82% in Delhi NCR, 83% in Tamil Nadu and a staggering 92% in Maharashtra.

Amol Kulkarni, Director of Research at CUTS International, warned in the news release that prohibition has merely reshaped the "geography of gaming" rather than eliminating it. He advocated for a balanced regulatory approach that strengthens consumer protection and responsible gaming safeguards instead of relying solely on blocking measures, which the report suggests are unsustainable in digitally open markets.

Offshore Gaming Surge

The survey of 3,000 former users across these regions indicated that the prohibition changed where people play rather than whether they play. Total offshore participation rose by 18 percentage points following the implementation of the PROG Act, as users migrated to platforms operating outside India’s regulatory and consumer-protection frameworks. While Delhi and Tamil Nadu saw increases of 14-15 points, Maharashtra recorded a 25 percentage-point leap in offshore migration.

Notably, high-intensity gaming patterns have moved alongside the users. Before the ban, frequent play and high spending were concentrated on regulated domestic sites, but the market structure has now flipped. Daily offshore gaming jumped from roughly 2–3% to over 40% and sessions lasting longer than two hours now also exceed 40%. Furthermore, spending in high-value brackets, such as ₹25,000+ per month, has expanded sharply on these foreign platforms.

The report underscored growing risks for vulnerable groups, noting that the 18–24 age group shows the fastest relative growth in offshore spending. Younger and lower-income users are now increasingly exposed to platforms without domestic grievance-redress or oversight systems.

Qualitative data suggested players moved offshore to continue familiar habits, aided by easy discovery through Telegram or WhatsApp and the continued use of mainstream payment methods like UPI.