ASCI flags 413 offshore betting ads to govt in 2025

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) on Tuesday said it has flagged 413 offshore betting ads to the government this year.

The advertising industry's self-regulatory body also said it has processed 12 advertisements for potential violation of its guidelines, according to a statement.

The action follows signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Asci and the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) and the E-Gaming Federation (EGF), with effect from January 2, 2025.

The MoU between ASCI and the online gaming industry federations establishes a framework to address these challenges through a special monitoring cell that will focus on screening and reporting offshore betting and gambling advertisements to the ministries concerned.

The cell will also screen and process real-money gaming advertisements that are found to be in potential violation of the ASCI Code, the statement said.

Previously, ASCI flagged 1336 advertisements during April 2023-March 2024 to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Based on this, the ministry has taken action to block such ads and platforms, the statement said.

During the same period, 492 cases pertaining to real money gaming were also taken up by ASCI.

Indian state laws prohibit gambling and offshore betting activities; making advertisements for these activities illegal in these states. However, online real-money games that require a predominance of skill, are permitted by most state laws, and their advertising is therefore allowed, it explained.