Google says not allowing ads promoting online gambling in India

After the Centre directed Google to stop showing betting companies ads for Indian users, the tech giant on Wednesday said it does not allow any advertisements that promote online gambling.

As per reports, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had, last week, sent a letter asking Google to immediately drop all advertising, direct or surrogate, from betting platforms in search results and YouTube.

In a statement to IANS, a company spokesperson said that "in line with our Ads Policies, and with the local laws and regulations applicable, we do not allow any advertisements that promote online gambling".

"Across our ads systems, we have strict policies in place to stop violations, and we take quick action if we are informed about violative ads," said the Google spokesperson.

Earlier, the Ministry had issued an advisory in this respect and according to sources, TV channels and OTT (Over-the-top) players stopped showing surrogate advertisements of online betting firms.

However, it was brought to the notice that many such ads were running on YouTube and Google.