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Don't carry ads of online betting platforms: Govt advisory to digital media, TV channels

The MIB advisory said according to Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, advertisements of betting platforms, being an illegal activity, can not be shown on digital media.

ET Now Digital

Updated Oct 3, 2022, 20:15 IST

Don't carry ads of online betting platforms: Govt advisory to digital news media, TV channels(Representational Image)

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The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) in an advisory to digital news publishers and private satellite TV channels on Monday refraining them from carrying advertisements of online betting platforms.

“In accordance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, advertisements of betting platforms, being an illegal activity, can not be shown on digital media,” the statement added.

The online advertisement intermediaries were also advised not to target such advertisements towards the Indian audience. A Ministry statement added that it issued the advisory because betting and gambling is prohibited in most parts of the country, and pose significant financial and socio-economic risk for the consumers, especially youth and children.

“The promotion of offline or online betting/gambling through advertisements is not advised in larger public interest,” the MIB statement added.

The Ministry said it has observed that promotional content and advertisements of betting platforms are still visible on certain news platforms and OTT platforms. Even some digital offshore betting platforms are using news websites as a surrogate product to advertise betting platforms on digital media, it added.

Further, the Department of Consumer Affairs has informed that online betting platforms have been advertising themselves as professional sports blogs, sports news websites, etc. while providing an indicative list of online betting platforms which arc using news for surrogate advertising.

Some online betting platforms carry advertisements on surrogate news websites operated by these these platforms. The logos of the concerned news websites are strikingly similar to the betting platform. The concerned betting platforms and the corresponding news websites are also not registered with any legal authority under Indian laws, the ministry warned.

“Accordingly, the online offshore betting platforms appear to be promoting betting and gambling under the garb of news as surrogate advertising,” it added.

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