Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, June 13:The Centre restricted advertisements on online betting platforms strictly to private satellite TV channels on Monday.
In a recent recommendation, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting encouraged print, digital, and electronic media outlets to refrain from all such public-interest promotions, citing the fact that betting and gambling are banned in most parts of the country.
“It has now come to the notice of this Ministry that a number of advertisements of online betting websites/platforms are appearing in print, electronic, social and online media,” the advisory read.
“Betting and gambling is illegal in most parts of the country, and concerns have been expressed that advertisements of online betting promote an activity which is otherwise largely prohibited and poses significant financial and socio-economic risk for the consumers, especially youth and children,” it added.
According to the ministry, online betting commercials are frequently misleading and do not appear to be in strict compliance with the Consumer Protection Act 2019, Advertising Code, and the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995.
The advertisement also did not comply with the Norms of Journalistic Conduct established by the Press Council of India under the Press Council Act, 1978, which are referenced in the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, according to the advisory.
