The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has declared 46 online gambling, casino, and unregulated forex trading applications illegal across Pakistan.
According to the agency, the ban on these apps was imposed when investigations revealed that they were not only promoting gambling but also collecting users' personal data and mobile numbers without permission.
The banned platforms include betting and casino apps such as:
Chicken Road, Aviator Game, 1xBet, Betway, Dafabet, 22Bet, Melbet, Parimatch, Bet365, Plinko, 10Cric, Rabona, Casumo, BetWinner, 888Starz, Thunderpick, and B9 Game App.
Similarly, many apps that were providing access to SIM and CNIC records without permission have also been banned. These include:
Sim owner details & sim info, Sim owner details, Pak Sim Data | Sim Info, Sim Owner Detail: Verification, Pak E Services & Sim Details, Sim owner details & Packages, Fresh Sim Data Base, Sky Sim Data, Sim Owner Details, and Sim Tracker.
Authorities have declared all of these as serious privacy threats.
Unregulated forex and binary trading platforms have also been declared illegal due to the risks of financial exploitation. These include:
Binomo, Capital Core, IQ Option, Pocket Option, Deriv, IQ Cent, Binarium, Kalshi, Insta Forex, Olymp Trade, Evo Trade, Binary Mate, Binary Cent, Cronika, OctaFX, Focus Option, Quotex, First Binary Option, and Close Option.
NCCIA has submitted this list to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to immediately block these apps nationwide. Authorities have also warned that strict action will be taken against the developers and promoters of these illegal platforms.
