DGGI blocks 357 illegal online gaming websites; attaches 2,400 bank accounts
The Hindu
GST intelligence officers block 357 illegal offshore gaming websites, freeze 2,400 bank accounts, caution public against engaging with them.
Goods and Services Tax (GST) intelligence officers have blocked 357 websites of illegal offshore online gaming firms and attached about 2,400 bank accounts, the Finance Ministry said on Saturday (March 22, 2025).
The Ministry also cautioned the public against engaging with offshore gaming platforms, even though many Bollywood celebrities and cricketers, besides social media influencers, are found to be endorsing these platforms.
About 700 offshore e-gaming companies are under the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI) scanner, as these entities are evading GST by failing to register, concealing taxable pay-ins, and bypassing tax obligations.
Investigations also revealed that these offshore companies operated through ‘mule’ bank accounts to process transactions, the Ministry said, adding the DGGI blocked 166 ‘mule’ accounts.
“So far, 357 websites/URLs of illegal/non-compliant offshore online money gaming entities have been blocked by the DGGI, in coordination with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY),” the Ministry said in a statement.
In two other separate cases, DGGI collectively blocked nearly 2,400 bank accounts and put a freeze on nearly ₹126 crore.
In another operation against a few Indian nationals who were running online money gaming platforms from outside India, it revealed that these individuals were facilitating online money gaming to Indian customers through various such online platforms, including Satguru Online Money Gaming Platform, Mahakaal Online Money Gaming Platform and Abhi247 Online Money Gaming Platform and are using mule bank accounts to collect money from Indian customers.
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