India’s sweeping ban on online gambling is forcing parts of a once-bustling industry underground, with players and analysts warning that determined bettors will find ways to access overseas and unregulated platforms despite the crackdown.

An AFP report notes that last month India’s parliament passed legislation that outlaws online gambling after government estimates indicated companies were extracting about $2.3 billion a year from some 450 million users. Authorities framed the move as a public-interest step to curb addiction, fraud, money-laundering and other social harms — consequences they say were amplified by the rapid spread of betting apps. The ban has also upended commercial arrangements, even jeopardising sponsorship links with the national cricket team.

Industry and user accounts quoted by AFP say the law will not entirely stop betting. Adarsh Sharma, an advertising professional who regularly played fantasy sports, predicted that “offshore sites will see a sudden boom” as gamblers search for alternatives. “A habit once formed cannot be broken easily,” he said. “It is an addiction and people will find ways to gamble.”

Although the new rules bar cash betting, many fantasy-sports-style games remain playable in India for non-monetary prizes, a loophole that users and some operators are already exploring. At the same time, legal action has begun: a leading online card-games platform has challenged the law in court, arguing on constitutional and industry grounds against the blanket prohibition.

Enforcement, however, faces practical hurdles. Players determined to bypass the ban can use virtual private networks (VPNs) to mask their location and access foreign betting sites, and some may resort to proxy payment methods to place wagers. “We have done this before and will do it again,” one fan told AFP, speaking anonymously. “We will go back to our old ways of making money.”

Officials warn that such workarounds expose users to greater risk: unregulated offshore sites offer no consumer protections, have opaque dispute-resolution mechanisms and can be linked to illicit financial flows. The legislation prescribes criminal penalties for offenders, including prison terms of up to five years.

Experts say the law’s ultimate impact will depend on how effectively regulators and payment networks block access to offending platforms, how courts rule on current legal challenges, and whether demand is met by safer, regulated alternatives. For now, the ban has shuttered a fast-growing market that once drew billions in spending and wide corporate sponsorship — but, as AFP’s reporting makes clear, it has not removed the incentives that push some users toward riskier, clandestine channels.