Offshore betting ads top complaints to ASCI in 2024–25

The Hindu

5 days ago

Advertisements promoting offshore betting and gambling platforms constituted the largest share of complaints received by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) in 2024–25, the self-regulatory body said in its Annual Complaints Report.
Of the 7,078 advertisements reviewed by ASCI, 43.52% — or over 3,000 — were related to offshore betting and gambling. These platforms, routinely banned by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, have witnessed rapid proliferation online, prompting concerns among stakeholders in the real money gaming (RMG) sector.
'ASCI has been escalating advertisements that are prohibited by law to appropriate regulators for appropriate action,' the report noted. The number of such advertisements increased from 2,707 in 2023–24 to 3,347 in the past year. These include promotions related to betting and gambling, prohibited drugs making magic health claims, alcohol, and tobacco.
The volume of gambling-related advertisements has more than doubled, ASCI said, 'from 1,311 the previous year to 3,081 cases this year.' Several of these were flagged in collaboration with RMG industry associations, which established a 'special monitoring unit' in January 2025 to aid detection.
ASCI also reported continued cooperation with sector-specific regulators. A similar monitoring arrangement with MahaRERA, Maharashtra's real estate regulatory authority, resulted in the identification of 1,755 non-compliant advertisements in the real estate sector.
The second-largest category of flagged advertisements was submitted to the Ministry of AYUSH under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. ASCI reported 233 ads promoting products as miracle cures in violation of the Act.
'Twenty-one ads directly promoting alcoholic beverages on social media were reported to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting,' the report added.
Influencer marketing also remained a significant area of concern. ASCI said it investigated 1,015 ads by influencers over the year. 'Out of 100 influencer posts reviewed, only 29% had proper disclosures, while 2% cases were dismissed due to evidence of no material connection,' the body said. 'Alarmingly, 69% violated disclosure norms, with 56.8% lacking disclosure labels entirely and 43.2% having disclosures improperly placed within hashtags.'
While 59 influencers agreed to corrections voluntarily, five complied after jury recommendations. Another five influencers (7%) were escalated to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for continued non-compliance.
The fashion and lifestyle (27.5%), telecom products (21.7%), and personal care (13%) sectors accounted for 62% of all influencer-related violations, ASCI said.