According to the ministry, commercials for online betting are frequently deceptive and do not appear to follow the government’s or press council’s advertising guidelines.
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On Monday, the Centre placed a stringent restriction on marketing on online betting sites, allowing only private satellite TV stations to promote. In a recent recommendation, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting encouraged print, digital, and electronic media outlets to desist from all such public-interest promotions, citing that betting and gambling are banned in most regions of the nation.
“This Ministry has recently become aware that several ads for online betting websites/platforms are emerging in print, electronic, social, and online media,” according to the advisory.
“Betting and gambling are banned in most regions of the country, and there have been worries that internet betting advertising encourages an activity that is otherwise mainly outlawed and creates a huge financial and socio-economic danger for the country.”
According to the ministry, online betting commercials are frequently deceptive. They do not appear to comply strictly with the Consumer Protection Act 2019, the Advertising Code, and the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995.
The advertisement also did not comply with the norms of journalistic conduct established by the Press Council of India under the Press Council Act, 1978, which are referenced in the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, according to the advice.
“Online and social media platforms, as well as online advertisement middlemen and publishers, are encouraged not to show or target such adverts in India,” the ministry added.
