Nepal Orders Betting Apps and Websites to Shut

Nepal has ordered a fast shutdown of online betting platforms. The direction came through an online government announcement and gave authorities just 24 hours to act.

Good to Know

• Nepal told its telecom regulator to shut betting apps and websites within 24 hours.
• Internet service providers are expected to help block access.
• The order came days after a new prime minister took office.

Nepal Orders Immediate Shutdown

The Nepal government said in an announcement posted online on Sunday that the Nepal Telecommunications Authority had been told to “immediately” “close betting apps and websites, including any electronic betting” within 24 hours. The regulator is expected to work with internet service providers across the country.

Timing matters here. The order came only days after Balendra Shah, a 35 year old former rapper musician and mayor of Kathmandu, was sworn in on March 27 as the youngest prime minister of Nepal after a landslide win for the Rastriya Swatantra Party.

Pressure had already been building. In November of 2025, the Himalayan Times reported a “surge of gambling apps and online platforms” in Nepal and said they were “operating freely”.

The wider region has also been tightening rules. In August last year, neighboring India passed a bill to ban online real money gaming by October 1 that year..

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