Sri Lanka, Aug. 26 -- Government missing out on online gambling revenue while taxpayers carry the burden

Millions of rupees in revenue are slipping through the fingers of the government as the rapidly expanding online betting and gaming industry remains almost entirely untaxed and unregulated, leaving ordinary taxpayers to bear the financial burden.

Despite authorities blocking twenty-four unlicensed gambling sites this month ahead of the proposed Gambling Regulatory Authority, experts state that the government is failing on both tax collection and enforcement.

The scale of the financial loss was highlighted by tax expert Suresh Perera.

"During the discussion of the Committee of the Parliament for Finance, COPF, also it was pointed ou...