The Indian Express earlier reported that a market predicting the winner of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Election has received bets up to $16 million, as of Monday (April 27).
The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has directed virtual private network (VPN) providers to ensure that their platforms are not used to access banned online betting and prediction market platforms such as Polymarket.
The advisory comes as prediction market sites are finding traction among users, despite the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (PROGA) banning them.
It is worth noting that the advisory, issued earlier this week, explicitly names Polymarket.
The ministry said despite being banned in India, prediction markets and other betting sites are accessible over a VPN connection, rendering the website blocking meaningless, and defeating the whole purpose of the ban.
“MeitY hereby reiterates, with heightened emphasis, that all VPN service providers and other intermediaries must make reasonable efforts to not host or store or permit the access to any such platforms making available unlawful information, including ‘Polymarket’ and such other similar violative platforms operating in violation of law,” the advisory read.
“It is further observed that certain users are circumventing the legal restrictions imposed on such platforms by misusing VPN services to access these websites. In addition, such users are engaging in financial transactions through conversion of Indian rupees into virtual digital assets such as USD Coin or other stablecoins, thereby enabling participation in such platforms despite domestic prohibitions,” it added.
The ministry said VPNs and intermediaries allowing access to such platforms either directly or indirectly would be violating both the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act and sections of the Information Technology Act.
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Despite the ban, prediction markets such as Polymarket were rife with questions in the country, ranging from likely results of recent state elections, to outcomes of domestic cricket matches.
The Indian Express earlier reported that a market predicting the winner of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Election has received bets up to $16 million, as of Monday (April 27).
