Karnataka government has revoked the digital betting privileges accorded to Bangalore Turf Club with immediate effect.
The move comes in after state succumbed to pressure put by an individual who filed Public Interest Litigation before High Court of Karnataka seeking ban on online gambling sites.
It was contended that in the absence of regulation, the online gambling should be banned as it is corrupting youth and leading to cases of suicides due to financial distress.
While the legal outcome of the matter remains pending, Karnataka government has revoked the privileges given to Bangalore Turf Club.
The BTC was granted the permission to conducted online bets for horse racing as physical gatherings stood cancelled due to COVID-19. Step was taken to help the BTC which was facing financial crunch.
However, it appears that the online betting operations in India remained short lived as the state has cancelled the online betting permit of BTC. The club had to effectively cancel the summer racing season due to sudden permit revocation.