Advertising Standards Council of India signs MoU to fight illegal betting ads
This has been signed with the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) and the E-Gaming Federation (EGF)
Key points:
– Collaboration also looks to ensure real-money gaming advertisements are up to code
– 413 ads from offshore entities have been flagged since MoU began
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three different organisations in an effort to combat illegal gambling advertisements from offshore entities.
This collaboration announced by the advertising regulator encompasses the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) and the E-Gaming Federation (EGF).
In India, gambling and offshore betting activities are prohibited, which means advertisements are not allowed for their services. Online real-money games (RMG) that overall rely on skill are allowed, which means so is their advertising.
The MoU, which came into effect in early January, creates a special monitoring cell to report offshore betting advertisements, while also keeping an eye on real-money gaming advertisements that are in violation of ASCI’s Code.
Since the four organisations began collaborating, 413 ads from offshore betting entities have been flagged by ASCI, while 492 cases related to real-money gaming were taken up by ASCI.
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ASCI CEO and Secretary General Manisha Kapoor said: “Indian consumers are exposed to numerous ads of offshore betting and gambling companies that have no accountability in India. Several Indian celebrities too have been a part of such advertisements.
“Since gambling ads are prohibited in most parts of the country, their Press Release large-scale presence is a breach of the law. ASCI would like to surface such advertising to the regulators for necessary action.
“It is also key that the gaming industry, whose advertising is permissible in India, remains compliant with the ASCI Code. We welcome the proactive initiative of the gaming associations of working with the self-regulator to create a special monitoring cell for the industry.”
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