Media entities warned against direct or indirect ads about gambling, sports betting

The government has advised media entities, including online advertisement intermediaries and social media platforms, to refrain from running advertisements and promotional content on betting or gambling in any form. In a statement released on Friday, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) warned all the stakeholders of appropriate action in case of failure to adhere to its advisory.

The ministry said black money is likely involved in gambling and betting advertisements, triggering a spike observed around major sporting events, and advised all media entities against allowing direct and indirect advertisements of betting.

 Citing recent action by the central government against “a network of agents who had collected substantial money from users of gambling apps that had subsequently funneled the funds out of India”, the ministry said that advertisements of gambling or betting platforms pose significant financial and socio-economic risks for the consumer, especially youth and children. 

The ministry also said this mechanism has “linkages to money laundering networks, thereby threatening the financial security of the country". Along with these illegalities, it is also “highly likely that black money is used to pay for such advertisements”, it said, adding that the government may be forced to take action under various statutes. 

The I&B ministry noticed that certain media entities, including advertisement intermediaries and social media platforms, have been allowing direct and indirect advertisements of betting and gambling platforms during major sporting events, including cricket tournaments. It also mentioned that it has observed a tendency to spike promotion of such betting and gambling platforms during a major sporting event, especially cricket. 

The advisory comes days ahead of the onset of the Asia Cup cricket tournament. While tournaments like Asia Cup this month and the ICC World Cup in October are expected to attract the highest bets from India, tennis Grand Slams and golf Majors are also popular tournaments for betting in the country. Leagues such hockey, football and pro kabaddi also garner sizeable bets.

The Union ministry has on several occasions in the past stated that advertising or promoting betting, gambling and related activities directly or indirectly, regardless of the platform, falls foul of the various laws, including the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the Press Council Act 1978.