Hyderabad: Following Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s recent announcement to establish a Special Investigation Team (SIT) aimed at preventing and addressing issues related to betting and rummy games, the State Director General of Police (DGP), Dr Jitender, has issued orders to form the SIT. This five-member team will investigate online betting cases and provide a report to the State government. This initiative came when several prominent film actors and actresses promoted online betting apps, leading to police investigations and complaints against them.

The SIT will analyse the current landscape and operations of online betting activities and recommend necessary actions the State government should take to mitigate these issues.

On Monday, DGP Jitender stated that the police would investigate cases related to the betting apps, and the SIT would examine the impact of betting and gaming apps on the State’s residents. The SIT will be led by an officer holding the rank of DG-CID and Additional DG-CID. It will include experts from various fields such as finance, law, auditing, and forensics to assist in the investigation. According to the terms of reference for the SIT, it shall conduct thorough and prompt investigations into all online betting cases assigned or transferred to it. The team will evaluate legal provisions, regulations, and restrictions that can be introduced to prevent the organization, promotion, and advertising of online betting and gaming.

Further, the SIT will suggest legal actions that can be taken. It will also examine the roles and responsibilities of the Union and state agencies, including the IT department and GST authorities, in regulating online gaming activities.

The team will propose effective measures to strengthen enforcement against such activities. Among its other responsibilities, the SIT will recommend policy and regulatory changes for payment systems and financial institutions to detect and block transactions tied to illegal betting and gambling operations.

These recommendations will be submitted to the Reserve Bank of India. According to the Telangana Gaming Act of 2017, all forms of online betting are prohibited, as confirmed by the police. The DGP indicated that the investigation will identify how many apps are still operating in the state despite the ban. Since January of this year, consultations have been held at various levels, including discussions with the federation for online betting and gaming apps. “We have advised them not to operate in Telangana and to implement geo-fencing measures so that no one in the state can access these apps. We need to assess which apps are compliant and which are not. If any apps are found to be in violation, we can pursue criminal action against them,” he stated.

The DGP emphasised the importance of understanding all legal, financial, and operational implications. Besides filing the criminal cases advisories and notices will be issued during the investigation. These measures are in line with the State government’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards the betting and gaming apps, he added.

Recently, police in Hyderabad have filed cases against illegal betting apps and their promoters following complaints that these applications have enticed the youth and the general public with promises of easy money, ultimately leading to financial and psychological distress.

Cases have been registered against the management of these illegal betting apps, some film actors, and several social media influencers for allegedly promoting online betting apps through various social media platforms, violating the Gaming Act, BNS, and IT Act. Some film and television actresses, along with social media influencers, have recently appeared before the police as part of the investigation into online betting apps.