Speaking on the recent case of a city businessman being duped of Rs 58 crore, the Nagpur Chamber of Commerce Limited (NCCL) is demanding the government to crack down on illegal betting apps due to its adverse effects on younger generation.

The NCCL, an association of traders, claimed that young individuals, especially from business families, are getting addicted to gambling and neglecting the business. Regarding the Rs 58 crore scam, the members stated that the wagered amount could have been used for the business.

Moreover, they also revealed that the money that the businessman lost was loaned to him for business purposes. As a result, the repayment of the sum will now send the businessman in a huge debt spiral.

NCCL members and president Govind Pansari also asked for action against celebrities promoting these illegal betting apps while NCCL’s former president Kailash Jogani highlighted “legal betting apps” (online gaming), especially online rummy apps, which come under the category of game of skill as pronounced by the Supreme Court.

Jogani believes that these online rummy games are not skill games as the companies use Artificial Intelligence which does not let users win, but rather forms an addiction among them. The NCCL has appealed to both state and central governments in this regard, added Jogani as reported by The Times of India.

Diverting his attention to the illegal betting services, Jogani said that young people are feeding money to these platforms which then gets transferred abroad through hawala channels. He also said that the culprits get away with light punishments – imprisonment of one to six months only and just Rs 200 as fine.

Summing up the discussion, the NCCL demanded that betting should be covered as a scheduled crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the celebrities promoting these platforms should also be fined under the Consumer Protection Act for misleading advertisements.