Ban adverts of online betting games: Karnataka BJP MLA Suresh Kumar

BENGALURU: Senior BJP legislator Suresh Kumar claimed online betting games are ruining the lives of students and has urged the Centre to take immediate steps to ban advertising, marketing, and texting by these companies.In a letter to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Kumar, education minister in BS Yediyurappa’s cabinet, said numerous reports from police across the country point to people losing money in online gambling. He said the “menace” is ruining lives, especially of youngsters.“I’m aware courts have upheld the legal validity of online games of skill, but there is no bar on governments from running anti-campaigns and prohibiting advertisements,” he said. Kumar said he has been receiving numerous verbal complaints from parent s saying they receive unsolicited messages and calls from these companies, which try to entice them to play their games. Al though some people bloc k these numbers, they continue to get messages and calls from new numbers, the MLA said. He said that state and central governments should launch major campaigns t o discourage people from getting hooked to these games.