Uttar Pradesh to have a stricter law to check gambling

The Public Gambling Act only provides for one-year imprisonment and ₹1,000 fine. These punitive provisions are not enough to check online gambling, officials said

The Uttar Pradesh government has initiated the process to enact a new law as the Centre plans to scrap the Public Gambling Act and mandate states to come up with their own legislation to control gambling, people aware of the matter said.

Representational Image. (File photo)

“The State Law Commission is preparing a draft for the proposed law to check the gambling. All aspects are being studied and looked into to make the law stringent. It will also have special provisions to check online gambling,” said justice AN Mittal, the commission’s chairman.

Officials said in the Internet age when online gambling is a bigger threat, the proposed law will have special provisions to check this. A number of applications are available for online gambling. There is not any law to check online gambling.

The Public Gambling Act only provides for one-year imprisonment and ₹1,000 fine. These punitive provisions are not enough to check online gambling, officials said.

The commission is also going through laws of other countries, specially framed to check online gambling.

The new law is also likely to make organised gambling a non-bailable offence and provide for a seven-year jail term for it.