Crackdown on Offshore Gaming Entities: 642 Under Investigation

The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has identified 642 offshore entities involved in online money gaming for potential tax evasion. These entities have been reported to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to block their access under the IGST Act, 2017.

The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has launched a probe into 642 offshore entities offering online money gaming, which are suspected of potential tax evasion. This information was disclosed to Parliament on Monday.

These online gaming entities have been notably non-responsive and uncooperative during the investigation, leading to their referral to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). MeitY is tasked with blocking their websites or URLs under the provisions of Section 14A(3) of the IGST Act, 2017.

Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed the Lok Sabha that while DGGI lacks reciprocal arrangements with foreign governments, it has singled out these 642 offshore gaming/betting/gambling entities for scrutiny.

(With inputs from agencies.)