Mumbai, Feb 18 (IANS) The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) on Tuesday joined online gaming industry to tackle the issue of illegal betting and gambling advertisements from offshore entities.
ASCI signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), and the E-Gaming Federation (EGF) here.
The agreement aims to protect consumers from misleading advertisements.
As part of this initiative, a special monitoring cell has been created to track and report illegal offshore betting ads to the concerned ministries.
The cell will also review real-money gaming (RMG) advertisements to ensure they follow ASCI’s advertising guidelines.
The goal is to expose unlawful ads and ensure compliance within the RMG industry.
“Indian consumers are exposed to numerous ads of offshore betting and gambling companies that have no accountability in India,” said Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General, ASCI.
She added that the several Indian celebrities too have been a part of such advertisements. Since gambling ads are prohibited in most parts of the country, their large-scale presence is a breach of the law.
“ASCI would like to surface such advertising to the regulators for necessary action. We welcome the proactive initiative of the gaming associations of working with the self-regulator to create a special monitoring cell for the industry,” Kapoor mentioned.
Since January 2025, ASCI has flagged 413 offshore betting advertisements to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Additionally, 12 ads related to real-money gaming have been reviewed for potential violations of ASCI’s guidelines.
Roland Landers, CEO, All India Gaming Federations, said: “As the oldest and largest industry federation, AIGF has been at the forefront of advocating for responsible gaming practices and addressing the menace of offshore and illegal betting and gambling.”
In the past, ASCI had flagged 1,336 similar ads between April 2023 and March 2024, prompting the ministry to take action against certain platforms.
During the same period, ASCI also examined 492 real-money gaming ads.
Several states have strict laws against gambling and offshore betting, making advertisements for these activities illegal. However, online real-money games based on skill are allowed under most state laws.
These games can be advertised, but companies must follow strict guidelines to avoid misleading consumers or promoting gambling as a source of income. “Indian citizens have been duped and scammed by unscrupulous operators for years. The nation suffers, so do consumers, so does the domestic industry,” said Anuraag Saxena, CEO, E-Gaming Federation.