Odisha abolishes imprisonment for gambling

Odisha Government abolished imprisonment for gambling yesterday and replaced it with monetary penalties under the newly introduced ‘Odisha Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025’ in the State Legislative Assembly, sources said on Wednesday.

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The revised law removes the earlier provision of at least one to six months’ imprisonment for gambling. Instead, offenders can walk free by paying fines.

Previously, the law mandated a Rs 100 fine plus one month in jail, and in aggravated cases, up to six months in prison, along with fines running into thousands. Under the new structure, a gambler can now avoid jail by paying Rs 5,000 for the first category of offence and up to Rs 75,000 for the higher category, effectively eliminating imprisonment.

Opposition parties have sharply criticised the move, accusing the State government of encouraging gambling. Athagarh BJD legislator Ranendrapratap Swain, aka Raja Swain, said the decision “amounts to nationalising gambling”.

BJD MLA Swain warned it might spread “like a skin infection”. He added that while the Centre is banning online games, the State should reconsider and withdraw the Bill.

“The government at the Centre is saying something, and their left hand at the State is saying something else. Our previous generations had passed a law in this House for restricting the gambling activity through jail punishment. Now, anyone can gamble and move freely after paying a fine,” Athagarh MLA Swain added.

However, the State government argues that shorter jail terms for minor offences should be replaced with stringent fines to reduce legal delays, simplify outdated laws, and lower litigation costs. Penalties will now be determined by empowered authorities, making the process faster and less burdensome.

“Opposition parties are trying to mislead the people of Odisha. The reason is that they were unable to bring reforms to the law, which should have been amended earlier. When we are keen to bring about reforms and want people not to get distracted and adopt unfair means, they are deceiving the people instead,” Bhatli BJP MLA Irasis Acharya stated.