Advertising Standards and Online Betting in India
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has actively reported 413 ads by foreign betting platforms to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry since January and is examining 12 more for potential violations regarding real-money games (RMG).
Partnership and Monitoring
- An MoU was signed with online gaming associations like:
- All India Gaming Federation
- Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS)
- E-Gaming Federation (EGF)
- The monitoring cell established by ASCI screens and reports offshore betting and gambling ads that breach their code.
Violations and Guidelines
- From April 2023 to March 2024, ASCI flagged 1,336 ads, including 492 for RMG, for guideline violations.
- ASCI guidelines require disclaimers about the risks of online games, including addiction and financial risk.
- Ads should not portray under-18 individuals engaging in gambling activities.
Financial and Industry Impact
- India's illegal betting market receives over $100 billion in annual deposits.
- The gaming industry, with over 568 million gamers, grew at a 28% CAGR from FY20 to FY23, projected to earn $7.5 billion in five years.
