Odisha Police have arrested five people in Sundargarh district as part of a wider enforcement push against alleged illegal betting linked to the Indian Premier League.
The operation took place in Rajgangpur after Sundargarh SP Amritpal Kaur directed a special task team to investigate intelligence on local betting activity.
Police said the suspects were allegedly managing the betting setup and collecting money from participants.
Authorities seized ₹6 lakh ($7,200) in cash, froze ₹17.61 lakh in bank accounts and recovered five mobile phones believed to have been used in the operation.
A case has been registered at Rajgangpur Police Station under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Orissa Prevention of Gambling Act and the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act.
The Sundargarh arrests follow separate IPL betting cases in Odisha during April. In Puri, police arrested four people, seized ₹25.35 lakh in cash, froze ₹31.81 lakh across 10 bank accounts and recovered six mobile phones.
Local reports said the accused used an online betting application to receive deposits and assign points for bets placed on IPL matches.
Police in Berhampur also arrested a 21-year-old alleged bookie connected to an online betting website, adding to the pattern of district-level enforcement against digital betting networks during the cricket season.
The cases come during a period of tighter national scrutiny of online money gaming in India.
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 introduced prohibitions on online money games and advertisements linked to them, while new rules published in 2026 are intended to operationalise the framework.
International operators have already adjusted to the law change. Flutter shut down money-based online gaming services in India through Junglee after the 2025 legislation was passed, while industry coverage has pointed to continuing concerns that bans may push users toward unregulated platforms.
The Odisha actions also reflect a broader enforcement pattern in India, where police continue to pursue alleged gambling activity under a mix of state gambling laws, criminal provisions and newer online gaming legislation.
The case follows GGI's coverage of another Indian gambling enforcement action, when police arrested 17 people during a raid on an alleged illegal gambling venue in Karimnagar, Telangana.
The Puri case involved frozen funds across 10 bank accounts, showing how police investigations are increasingly focused on both cash handling and digital transaction trails
