MeitY Advises VPN Providers to Block Access to Banned Online Betting Platforms
2 hours agoPolitics
33LENS
2 SourcesIndia
TBNthebalanced.news

MeitY Advises VPN Providers to Block Access to Banned Online Betting Platforms

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued an advisory directing VPN providers and online intermediaries to prevent access to banned online betting and prediction market platforms like Polymarket. The ministry highlighted that some users circumvent restrictions by converting Indian rupees into virtual digital assets such as USD Coin (USDC) to participate in these platforms. MeitY warned that failure to comply with due diligence obligations under the IT Act could lead to loss of safe harbour protections. This advisory follows the recent notification of rules under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which prohibits all forms of online real-money gaming.

Political Bias
10%82%8%
Sentiment
45%
AI analysis of 2 sources · Published under editorial oversight by The Balanced News
Analysed 28 Apr 2026· How this analysis is produced· Editorial standards· Corrections

AI Analysis

Political bias across 2 sources
● Left 10%● Center 82%● Right 8%

The articles primarily present the government's regulatory stance on illegal online betting and VPN usage without partisan framing. They reflect official perspectives emphasizing legal compliance and public order concerns. There is limited representation of opposing views or industry responses, focusing instead on the enforcement aspect and legal obligations under Indian law.

Sentiment — Neutral (45/100)

The tone across the articles is neutral to cautionary, focusing on regulatory enforcement and legal compliance. The coverage highlights government concerns about unlawful activities and financial risks without emotive language. There is no evident positive or negative sentiment toward VPN providers or users, maintaining an informative and formal tone.

How 2 sources covered this story

Each source's own headline, political lean, and sentiment — so you can see framing differences at a glance.

SourceTheir headlineBiasSentiment
mintMeitY flags VPN providers, intermediaries enabling access to blocked betting and prediction platforms: Check advisory MintCenterNeutral
hindustantimesMeitY warns VPNs, intermediaries over access to banned betting sitesCenterNeutral

Coverage timeline

hindustantimes broke this story on 28 Apr, 11:34 am. Other outlets followed.

  1. 1
    hindustantimes28 Apr, 11:34 am
    MeitY warns VPNs, intermediaries over access to banned betting sites
  2. 2
    mint28 Apr, 12:36 pm
    MeitY flags VPN providers, intermediaries enabling access to blocked betting and prediction platforms: Check advisory Mint

Lens Score breakdown

33/100
Public interest0/100
Coverage gap100%

Well-covered story — coverage matches public importance.

Who's involved

Institutions and figures named across source coverage.

Government
IT MinistryMinistry of Electronics and Information TechnologyMeitY
Corporate
Google

Story context

Category
Politics
Location
India
Sources analysed
2
Last analysed
28 Apr 2026
Key entities
USD CoinMinistry of Electronics and Information TechnologyInformation technologyVPN serviceStablecoinVirtual private networkIndian rupeeDigital assetComputer securityPrediction marketIndiaJurisdiction