Govt asks Google to stop showing ads of betting firms

A letter has been sent to the search giant by the MIB in this regard, according to media reports

by Team PITCH
December 07, 2022

Govt asks Google to stop showing ads of betting firms

Nearly two months after advising online platforms to refrain from promoting offshore betting firms, the Indian government has now reportedly asked Google to stop displaying surrogate ads of such companies in its search results.

According to a media report, the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has sent a letter to the search giant in this regard.

The report states that the authorities have noticed that though ads of these companies have stopped appearing on TV channels and OTT platforms after they issued an advisory on the matter on October 3, they are still running YouTube and Google.

“We have asked Google to stop this immediately," the report quoted a senior ministry official as saying.

On October 3, the government urged TV, print and digital media platforms asking them not to publish advertisements of online betting platforms on online and social media.

The online advertisement intermediaries were also advised not to target such advertisements towards the Indian audience.

“The advisory had been issued for the reason that 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. Accordingly, the promotion of offline or online betting/gambling through advertisements is not advised in the larger public interest,” it stated.