Mirror Sites, Blocking and the Law

Since 1 May 2026 online money games are prohibited in India under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025. This edition explains; it does not invite anyone to play for money.

"Mirror" links — alternative addresses for a casino or betting site — circulate widely in India. Since the 2025 Act, they are often presented as a way around blocking. This page explains what mirrors are, why they do not change anything legally, and why they are a favourite tool of fraudsters.

What a mirror is

A mirror is the same platform served from a different web address. Operators use them when a domain changes or is unreachable. A genuine mirror shares accounts and balances with the main site; a fake one only copies its appearance.

Blocking and the Act

Under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025, MeitY can order blocking of online money game services, and the Act states that it applies to services operated from outside India but accessible here. A mirror of a blocked service is the same service. Using one does not make playing for money lawful, and a new address can be blocked as well.

Why mirrors attract phishing

When people expect addresses to keep changing, they stop checking them. That is the opening phishing pages need. A copy of a casino's design on a lookalike domain can collect logins, documents, card details and one-time passwords. Links in messaging groups, comment sections and "working link" posts are the usual delivery route.

• Check every character of a domain; fakes differ by a letter or a hyphen.
• Never enter a one-time password or card details on a page reached through a forwarded link.
• A page asking for documents "to activate the mirror" is fraudulent by definition.

If you are trying to stop

For someone trying to quit, the constant supply of new links is part of the problem. Leaving the groups that share them, muting channels and using device-level blocking cut off the supply. Our self-exclusion page explains the steps, and Tele MANAS (14416) offers free, confidential support at any hour.

What this site does not do

casinoinstant.biz does not publish mirror addresses for any operator, and it never will for readers in India. If you have been defrauded through a fake mirror, contact your bank and your state or union territory cyber cell.

FAQ

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