The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has asked Google to abide by its notice to refrain from posting or broadcasting advertisements for online gambling platforms or any substitute product representing them.
The latest guideline was issued by the Ministry in October after it noted violations of an earlier notice on June 13, 2022, as some overseas online gambling platforms had started using news websites as a substitute product for advertise betting platforms on television channels.
The Department of Consumer Affairs also informed the Ministry that online betting platforms advertised as professional sports blogs, sports news websites, etc., while providing an indicative list of online betting platforms that used news for substitute advertising.
In view of the Guidelines for the Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements-2022 under the Consumer Protection Act, read with the Advertising Code under the Cable Television Network Regulation Act, advertisements on websites News outlets that were in fact surrogate promotions do not appear to be in strict accordance with the laws, the ministry had said.
welcome decision
The All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) has welcomed the Ministry’s decision for strict warnings against overseas gambling advertisements. “While the actions of the MIB (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) have substantially reduced this advertising on TV and OTT channels, these anti-national platforms are still heavily advertised on all major social media platforms, large online advertising platforms technology and use important sports. and entertainment personalities,” he said Wednesday.
Federation Executive Director Roland Landers: “In our opinion, one of the most problematic aspects of these offshore websites is how they promote and advertise their illegal products. They had been launching incessant advertisements during broadcasts of sporting events on TV channels and OTT platforms. Furthermore, they have been using OOH, print and digital media along with sports team sponsorships in Indian leagues to further penetrate the Indian consumer psyche. We are even seeing prominent influencers with a background in sports and entertainment endorsing these products.”
He said that illegal gambling websites abroad were reportedly spending approximately ₹3500 crore on all forms of advertising. “If we also include sponsorships and influencer marketing, this figure can rise to almost Rs 5 billion,” Landers said.
AIGF, the leading body for the online gaming industry in India, currently has more than 100 online gaming companies across esports, fantasy, card, casual and other formats as members, with a Combined user base of over 400 million. .