No More Online Betting Ads in India Google: Indian Government Intervenes

Online betting platforms have mushroomed over the past few years. These platforms are among the top advertisers that shell out copious amounts of money to promote their platforms. These betting ads intend to target people who like gambling or to foster an interest in gambling in people. As they entice users to get real-world money, they can also cause significant damage to one’s finances.

It seems that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting isn’t taking this situation lightly. It sent a letter to Google India, which was obtained by Mint. The government wants Google to cut off all forms of digital advertising related to betting platforms like Fairplay, PariMatch, Betway, and more.

Why did MIB make such a request to Google about online betting ads?

The Indian government is trying to introduce regulations to all the platforms and means of online betting in India. They are classified into two categories; the game of skill and the game of chance. Earlier, the petition to only include games of skill under regulation was snubbed by the government of India.

The Government of India wants to curb the reach of betting ads now. An effective way to do that is to stop all direct and surrogate ads of such platforms running on Google and YouTube. It came to light that after the last advisory, TV channels and OTT platforms stopped running ads, but these were still active on YouTube and were being served via Google search results.

The letter obtained by Mint highlights that the government is serious about the operation and legality of these apps. Gambling is more or less illegal in India, but many companies have found a workaround to this rule.

If you’ve ever stumbled upon these kinds of betting ads on Google or YouTube, it is best to stay away from them. You can also report these ads and tweet them while tagging MIB.