The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has written to the chief secretaries of states to curb outdoor advertisements of betting and gambling platforms. In a letter dated May 2, 2023, the Secretary of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Apurva Chandra said that while online, electronic, print and surrogate ads of such platforms have been curbed to a large extent, these companies have been using outdoor media like hoardings, posters, banners and autorickshaw branding to advertise these websites.

Last year, the government issued a similar crackdown on gambling ads on TV, print and digital media, issuing an advisory for the same.

“Since betting and gambling is illegal in most parts of the country, they pose financial and social economic risk for the consumers, especially youth and children,” read the letter.

Regulatory body The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), under the aegis of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, had also cracked the whip on ads promoting online betting websites/platforms in print, electronic and digital media to check the significant financial and socio-economic risks it poses to the consumers of India.