The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three industry federations. These include the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), and the E-Gaming Federation (EGF).
The MoU between ASCI and the online gaming industry federations has established a special monitoring cell to address these challenges. The cell will focus on screening and reporting offshore betting and gambling advertisements to the concerned ministries. Moreover, it will screen and process real-money gaming advertisements that potentially violate the ASCI Code. The collaboration aims to surface illegal ads and also strengthen compliance of the RMG industry.
Since the MoU began in January, ASCI has flagged 413 offshore betting ads to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It has also processed 12 advertisements for potential violations of RMG guidelines. Recently, ASCI flagged off 1336 ads in the period April 2023-March 24, to the Ministry of I&B. The Ministry has taken action to block such ads and platforms based on this. ASCI also took up 492 cases related to Real Money Gaming during the same period.
Indian state laws restrict gambling and offshore betting activities; making advertisements for these activities, illegal in these states. Nonetheless, most state laws allow online RMG (real-money games) that require a predominance of skill, permitting their advertising. Some offshore betting and gambling operators attempt to portray themselves as legally allowed gaming companies, necessitating the need to identify such advertisements and escalate the same to regulators. The guidelines of ASCI for Advertising of Online Gaming for Real Money Winnings needs advertisements to make sure that the content of such ads remains responsible and does not depict minors or represents winnings as a means of livelihood for the real-money gaming sector. Furthermore, these ads must include disclaimers to inform consumers about the risks associated with such games.
