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The Games People Play – Goa Police Crackdown on ‘Matka’ While Gambling Goes Online, Now Police Wants to Block Online Gaming Websites

Goa police have made the Matka gambling completely paralyzed in the state by cracking down on the illegal business and arresting more than 100 Matka agents in the last week.
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The most famous gambling business called ‘MATKA’ has now become online. The Goa Police have been cracking on the Matka business in the state by arresting all the agents involved in the illegal gambling business in the state and to overcome that setback the gamblers have made the Match available online. 

According to the sources, Goa police have made the Matka gambling completely paralyzed in the state by cracking down on the illegal business and arresting more than 100 Matka agents in the last week. On the instruction from the CM, Goa Police had conducted the raids across the state and made the claims of literally suspending the Matka business in the state.

According to the sources, after cracking down on the backbone of Matka business in the state now Goa Police is busy finding out the way to block the websites running the Matka business online. The Police sources have revealed that the Matka activity has gone online from the offline mode and now publishing the numbers online.

Based on the information provided by the sources in the crime branch the Goa Police is now doing the investigation of the alleged Matka gambling nexus in the state and that they have already identified the nine such websites which promote the Matka Business online. All the websites display the Numbers pertaining to Matka, said the sources. The police sources have also said that these websites provide details of earlier winning numbers and it gives the forecast of winning numbers, some for a fee.

Matka Bookie in Goa
The Matka Bookie Ready to Accept the Betting

The sources have further revealed that the websites also offer facilities wherein one can register and play Matka bets online for which a certain amount has to be paid in advance (to be deposited in a bank account). “Over the years, the age-old game of chance, which is locally known as Matka has transformed and one can also play online by registering on the website,” said sources.

Although police have already found out the names of the websites which run the Matka business online but blocking them is not that easy at all as most of the websites have their servers placed outside India. The police are running from the post to pillar to obtain all the necessary directions and orders from the concerned authorities said the sources.

According to the sources, Last year, the police had written to the Director-General, Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), New Delhi, to block the websites. However, police were informed that they are not empowered to block these websites and were asked to approach the office of the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, New Delhi.

Matka Bookie
The Old-style Board Displaying the Matka Winning Numbers in the City (SOURCE)

Things are never easy as they appear to be and the same applies to the police too. They also had to work within the framework of the law. To stop these websites Goa Police first wrote to the Joint Secretary of Information technology, New Delhi to get permission to block the Matka websites and they have been directed to approach the court for the orders. When police approached the court in Panaji requesting them to issue an order but the court sent them back to the bring-in writing from the concerned authorities seeking the court orders to block the websites.

Finally, police went back to the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, New Delhi for the written permission but they are still waiting for the revert from them. One of the police officers has told the media that the Joint Secretary’s office is yet to respond even after a second reminder that was sent earlier this year. According to the police, these websites are found to be hosted outside India and after examining the registry details, it was found that some of the mobile numbers are found to be from outside the country. The names and addresses are also found to be incomplete, police said.

Goa Police have given their hundred percent to crack down the Matka gambling completely in the state and now there is no visible Matka bookie left in the state for accepting the bets in public or open space. The game has been changed now. The Matka bookies have become more advanced and started making use available technology. Many Matka bookies are now accepting the betting over the phone or with the help of mobile messaging APP. “The Matka bookies/agents are making use of mobile messaging apps to accept bets and bets are also being placed through a phone call,” said sources.

THE ONLINE MATKA IS AVAILABLE IN DESKTOP AND MOBILE VERSIONS

The Matka bookies and the agents are not happy with the sudden action of the police and they feel that one side government is allowing the gambling openly in the casinos and on the other side they are harassing the Matka agents and bookies which have a huge base in Goa. Thousands of families in the state are surviving in this business, said the sources.

It may be recalled that following the raids on Matka business activities in the state last week police had arrested hundreds of Matka bookies and now they are searching for the Ringleaders who apparently runs the entire show from behind the scenes, said the sources.

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