Indian police launch crackdown on Indian Premier League betting

Charlotte Capewell

13 April 2026 at 7:42am UTC-4

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Police in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have launched a crackdown on illegal betting linked to the Indian Premier League.

According to media reports, at a recent high-level meeting held by Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta, police officials were instructed to enforce strict action against organized betting networks operating across the state and have been conducting raids at a range of sites, including lodges, clubs, and other venues.

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The crackdown also targets ibetting platforms, with surveillance teams monitoring websites, mobile apps, and social media channels used for betting. Efforts are underway to block access and trace those involved.

As part of the operation, police are said to be looking at financial trails linked to betting syndicates. Officials confirmed that bank accounts suspected of being used for illegal transactions have been frozen, with further action expected as investigations continue.

The Andhra Pradesh police said repeat offenders could be detained and have their property seized.

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The enforcement drive is set to continue throughout the Indian Premier League season and will include a focus on public awareness. Police have urged people to avoid betting on the league, which runs until 31 May this year.

In August, Indian lawmakers introduced the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, which banned a large number of igaming platforms.

Charlotte Capewell brings her passion for storytelling and expertise in writing, researching, and the gambling industry to every article she writes. Her specialties include the US gambling industry, regulator legislation, igaming, and more.

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The Backstory

How enforcement converged on India’s biggest cricket season

India’s most-watched sports property has again drawn a parallel surge in illegal wagering — and a stronger response from police. State forces are coordinating raids, freezing accounts and monitoring digital channels as betting syndicates shift tactics during the Indian Premier League. Recent actions across Goa, Gujarat and multiple eastern states show authorities moving in lockstep: pressure the street-level agents, harden stadium perimeters, and follow bank trails to online “panels” and cross-border platforms.

The campaign builds on lessons from prior seasons: bookmaking proliferates when live odds, messaging apps and proxy accounts collide with a tournament that compresses hundreds of micro-betting moments into a few hours. Investigations now lean on forensic labs, inter-state intelligence sharing and targeted banking requests to disrupt the flow of small, rapid transactions that enable in-play betting at scale. Police say the strategy is to make the economics worse for operators by driving up seizure risk, cutting payment rails and escalating penalties for repeat offenders.

That escalation is visible in coordinated arrests, expanded digital surveillance and an emphasis on awareness aimed at casual bettors drawn in by the league’s global profile. The pattern suggests authorities are treating the season not just as a public-order issue, but as a financial-crime problem with organized networks and sophisticated tools.

Raids in Goa illuminate a fragmented but resilient market

One early window into the machinery came from Goa, where police arrested 45 people across four locations after intelligence indicated agents were taking online bets from hotel rooms during matches. Devices seized — laptops and smartphones — were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Verna for analysis, underscoring how digital evidence anchors these cases. Investigators believe the suspects largely arrived from Gujarat, hinting at mobile operations that chase match schedules and tourist traffic. As one officer told local media, betting is “rampant” and often connected to casino-fueled lifestyles in a state where gambling at 16 casinos is legal but sports betting is not. The probe aims to move beyond foot soldiers and identify the bookmaking principals who sit atop the chain of agents using offshore sites. Read more in Goa police make 45 arrests in Indian Premier League gambling crackdown at Complete iGaming.

The Goa raids also illustrate how enforcement leans on inter-state cooperation when suspects, money and devices cross borders. Liaison with Gujarat police is meant to map recruiter networks, signal suppliers and cash couriers — and to prevent operators displaced by one state’s crackdown from simply reconstituting in another. For investigators, the challenge is that the market is decentralized by design: panels, proxies and prepaid instruments allow quick churn. That keeps pressure on authorities to sustain operations for the full season rather than relying on one-off sweeps.

Inside the stadium: phones, premium seats and live odds

Police have pushed closer to the action, too, policing behavior in premium seating areas where bettors can see the game’s tempo and place near-real-time wagers. At Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, two men were arrested during a Gujarat Titans–Mumbai Indians match after officers said they found both logged into betting sites on their phones. The cases highlight both how hard it is to police in-play micro-bets and how stadium surveillance and tip lines are becoming part of the toolkit. Authorities are probing whether those caught were linked to broader rings, a common thread in this season’s cases. Details are in Two online gambling-related arrests made during Indian Premier League at Complete iGaming.

These incidents matter because live, on-premise betting shortens the time window between a ball bowled and a bet placed. It also complicates deterrence: legitimate spectators blend with agents who can relay lines to bettors offsite. Stadium enforcement serves a signaling function, telling intermediaries that high-visibility venues are no longer safe, and gives police real-time access to devices that can unlock chat groups, wallet IDs and panel credentials.

Following the money: panels, frozen accounts and the Mahadev network

Where stadium and hotel raids generate the first layer of data, financial investigations aim to crack the second layer: the settlement backbone. A multistate probe tied to the Mahadev betting platform led to 14 arrests across Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Assam, with suspects accused of running panels branded L96 Lotus, Lotus 651 and Lotus 656 to accept IPL bets. Police seized 67 phones, eight laptops and Rs30 lakh in cash, while reporting they had already frozen 500 bank accounts and asked banks to freeze 1,500 more linked to accused parties and bettors. The Senior Superintendent of Police in Raipur framed the measures as part of a broader push with the banking system to stifle transaction throughput. See Indian police make 14 arrests in online betting crackdown at Complete iGaming.

Freezing accounts has two effects: it preserves assets for forfeiture and interrupts the rapid, low-value transfers that mask settlement among layers of handlers. It also pressures panel operators, who rely on the perception that funds can be moved or cashed out quickly to recruit agents and bettors. By acting during the season, investigators aim to create operational friction when liquidity needs are highest and bet volumes spike during marquee fixtures.

Regulatory overhang reshapes the broader gaming economy

The government’s tougher posture is not limited to illegal betting. A nationwide ban on paid online games has reordered the legal gaming sector, wiping out a large chunk of revenue for platforms built on fantasy sports and skill titles. Mobile Premier League said it would cut about 60% of staff after the rule change, which the company said eliminated its near-term India revenue. Reuters reported the layoffs would span marketing, finance, engineering, operations and legal, signaling a deep reset for a once fast-growing segment. Fantasy operator Dream11 said its revenues dropped 95% overnight, and another platform, A23, has mounted a legal challenge. For more, see Mobile Premier League to cut staff by 60% after India bans paid gaming at Complete iGaming.

This policy shift creates a paradoxical backdrop to the illegal betting crackdown. As legitimate operators retrench, enforcement targets persist in the gray market where platforms adapt quickly and operate offshore. That raises questions about where recreational users migrate and whether law changes inadvertently expand the addressable market for underground bookmakers during peak sports calendars.

Cricket’s growth ambitions meet compliance reality

Even as enforcement tightens, cricket is expanding into new geographies and business models. Europe is preparing a new franchise T20 property that pitches technology-driven fan engagement and global sponsorships. Rules X, an operating partner of the European T20 Premier League, added veteran sports tech executive Laila Mintas to its board to help shape a differentiated, “sustainable” tournament. The effort underscores the commercial pull of short-form cricket and the premium brands can place on regulated, data-rich environments. Read Dr. Laila Mintas to join board of European T20 Premier League partner Rules X at Complete iGaming.

The contrast is instructive. As India’s authorities press illegal operators through raids, surveillance and asset freezes, the sport’s stakeholders at home and abroad are leaning into structured leagues that promise integrity safeguards, compliant data flows and sponsor-friendly governance. The stakes are significant: keeping the IPL’s on-field drama from being shadowed by illicit markets, while enabling legitimate innovation that can grow cricket’s fan base without exposing consumers to the risks regulators are trying to curb.