The Indian government on Monday issued an advisory to print, electronic and digital media to refrain from carrying advertising related to online betting platforms as betting and gambling was illegal in most parts of the country.

The advisory comes in light of instances of a number of advertisements of online betting websites and platforms appearing in print, electronic, and social and online media.

“The advertisements of online betting are misleading, and do not appear to be in strict conformity with the Consumer Protection Act 2019, Advertising Code under the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995, and advertisement norms under the Norms of Journalistic Conduct laid down by the Press Council of India under the Press Council Act, 1978”, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) advisory stated.

MIB went on to advise the media, especially online and social media, that even if some such are carried as part of global campaigns, they should not target Indian audiences or be carried in India.

The Monday advisory said betting and gambling was illegal in most parts of the country, posing significant financial and socio-economic risk for the consumers, especially youth and children.

The advisory has been issued in larger public interest, and it has advised the print and electronic media to refrain from publishing advertisements of online betting platforms. It has also advised the online and social media, including the online advertisement intermediaries and publishers, to not display such advertisements in India or target such advertisements towards the Indian audience.

On December, 4, 2020, MIB had issued an advisory to private satellite TV channels to follow the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) guidelines on advertisements of online gaming, which contained specific do’s and dont’s for print and audio-visual advertisements of online gaming.