The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a warning to VPN service providers and online intermediaries to prevent access to illegal betting and prediction market platforms.
The advisory, issued on April 25, asks intermediaries and VPN providers to comply with due diligence obligations under existing law, warning that failure to do so could result in the loss of safe harbour protections.
The government has taken this step in view of the 'serious nature' of the issue, as some users are converting Indian rupees into virtual digital assets to participate in such platforms despite domestic prohibitions.
Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction market platform, is currently blocked in India under Section 69A of the IT Act and restricted in other jurisdictions.
The advisory comes shortly after the government notified rules under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which prohibits all forms of online real-money gaming.
