Goa police blocked 371 websites, arrested 109 persons for online gambling in 2025

Panaji: With a rise in online gambling and IPL-related betting cases, Goa police blocked 371 websites and arrested 109 persons in 2025. This was the first time in the last four years that Goa police blocked websites to stop illegal gambling activities and IPL betting.

“Officers and staff of police stations across the state are instructed to keep a watch on social media and websites to prohibit betting and wagering on online games and also to take action if they find any suspicious activity,” chief minister Pramod Sawant said.


In 2025, Goa police registered 19 FIRs for alleged cricket betting and online gaming. In all cases, the accused arrested are out on bail. A senior police officer said that cricket operators choose Goa as people in the surrounding areas usually do not report their activities. Besides, the movement of a large number of tourists is also a plus point for them.

With some ingenuity, racketeers kept well below the radar and hired bungalows in isolated places, rented hotels not regularly checked by authorities, and even rented houses not registered with the tourism department as guest houses, thus being run illegally.

“The operators approach agents and brokers to hire isolated villas, and mostly, they pay rent on a daily basis. Racketeers shift their operations to the state during the cricket season and then they leave the state,” a senior police officer said.

“Online gambling has long been a serious concern due to the numerous instances of fraud and financial exploitation,” police said. “The blocking of these websites aims to protect vulnerable individuals from falling victim to such fraudulent activities.”

A senior police officer said that investigations into these websites have already commenced. Goa police appealed to the general public to report any instances of illegal online gambling activities to the relevant authorities for prompt action.

Last year, Goa police’s crime branch busted one of the biggest IPL betting rackets in the country and arrested 34 persons in two different raids carried out at Nagoa and Bambolim to uncover IPL betting rackets.