Young people & students › Gaming or betting app money

In debt because of online gaming

What usually matters in this situation, and the papers to keep ready before you meet an advocate or free legal aid (call 15100).

Your situation

• What is the problem? I borrowed money to play and now owe a lot

Where you stand

• Be careful Illegal apps rarely pay out — treat money still on them as at risk, and stop adding more.
• Next step Lenders must follow fair-recovery rules; see the "Loan app harassment" guide if they threaten you.

Do these now

• Ask your bank to block gambling/betting payments on your account
  Banks are required to block these payments; asking helps. Where: Bank branch / app.

Papers to gather

• App name, website, and screenshots of your balance / transaction history
  Basis of any complaint. Where: The app.
• All deposits and withdrawals with UTR numbers
  Lets police trace receiving accounts. Where: Bank / UPI history.
• List of loans, cards and people you borrowed from
  Needed to plan repayment and stop harassment. Where: Your records.

You may also need, depending on your answers

• Chats with the agent or "ID" seller and their numbers — Agents are often the easiest to trace.

What the law says

Saboot will also ask

• When was the money deposited?
• How did you pay?

Similar situations

• Gaming app holding my winnings
• Lost money on a betting app
• Child spent money on games without permission
• Paid an agent to load money for betting

Sources

• Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025
• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (MHA)

The full guide: I lost money on a gaming, betting or trading app, or my winnings are stuck · All situations