(AsiaGameHub) –   Indian authorities are gearing up to officially ban prediction market platforms Polymarket and Kalshi, intensifying their crackdown on services considered unlawful under the nation’s updated online gaming regulations.

As reported by ThePrint, citing a senior government official, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has already directed the blocking of Polymarket, with a comparable directive for Kalshi anticipated to be issued as soon as Friday.

Despite numerous prior warnings and restrictions from the Indian government, both platforms continue to function. MeitY has frequently notified VPN service providers that users are bypassing restrictions to access these “illegal or blocked prediction market and online betting platforms,” which are banned in the country.

Although internet service providers (ISPs) were anticipated to block access, local reports indicate that users in India can still sign up and trade on both prediction platforms.

Furthermore, the government contends that prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are unlawful under Indian legislation, as they involve users wagering real money to forecast future occurrences.

Intermediaries failing to adhere to the government’s blocking directives could face financial penalties and prison sentences of up to seven years.

Deepro Guha, a policy expert at The Quantum Hub, noted that implementing these bans could prove difficult because of the prevalence of mirror sites. Banned platforms frequently reappear within days under new domain names, hosting identical content.

Guha added that the legal status of these platforms is straightforward, stating, “It’s the definition of betting. There’s no other way to get out of that.”