Country’s average rate stood at 11.9% in 2023
Amresh Parab
Panaji: Goa has recorded the highest crime rate in the country related to gambling activities, with a rate of 42.7 per cent. The all-India average crime rate (cases registered per lakh population) pertaining to gambling activities is 11.9 per cent, according to the Crime in India 2023 report published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), under the ministry of home affairs.
The report has said that 673 cases were registered under the Gambling Act in Goa in 2023. Given Goa’s projected population of 15.77 lakh that year, the state’s crime rate related to gambling stands well above other states.
As offences increase with population, crime per lakh population (crime rate) may be a better indicator to assess increase or decrease in crime, the NCRB has said.
Followed by Goa, Madhya Pradesh, with a population of 869.23 lakh, recorded a gambling-related crime rate of 32.2 per cent, with 27,997 cases registered. Maharashtra, with a population of 1267.10 lakh, reported 32,824 cases under the Gambling Act, equating to a crime rate of 25.9 per cent.
The Goa police have claimed to be taking several steps to tackle illegal gambling activities, including betting games like ‘matka’, ‘teen patti’, ‘andar bahar’, and online cricket betting.
The police have also been cracking down on illegal gambling dens across the state.
In a significant operation in May 2023, the crime branch of the Goa police identified 12 matka agents and three main matka operators—two from Gujarat and one from Maharashtra.
These individuals were named in multiple FIRs, leading to the arrest of 12 matka bookies in separate cases.
“The crime branch conducted multiple raids in various parts of Goa including Panaji, Mapusa, Porvorim, Margao, Vasco, Ponda, Mandrem, and Pernem,” crime branch SP Rahul Gupta had said.
Earlier in January, the cybercrime police station in Ribandar took action against online gambling by blocking 61 matka gambling websites.
According to the police, online gambling poses a serious threat due to frequent cases of fraud and financial exploitation. Blocking these platforms is part of broader efforts to protect vulnerable individuals from falling prey to such activities, officials stated.
