The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on August 25, 2023, issued a press release regarding an advisory to media entities against allowing direct and indirect advertisements of betting.
The following has been stated namely: -
• It states that All stakeholders, including the media entities, online advertisement intermediaries, and social media platforms, to immediately refrain from showing advertisements/promotional content on betting/gambling in any form. It has added that failure to adhere to this advisory may invite appropriate action from the Government of India under various statutes.
• It has issued several advisories to warn media platforms against publicizing betting/gambling platforms.
• The online advertisement intermediaries have also been advised not to target such advertisements toward the Indian audience, It also stated that betting and gambling an illegal activities, and hence advertisements/promotion of such activities directly or indirectly on any of the media platforms fall foul of the various statutes.
• It further states that the recently amended rule 3 (1) (b) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 provides that intermediaries shall make reasonable efforts by themselves, and to cause the users of their computer resource to not host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share any information that “is in the nature of an online game that is not verified as a permissible online game; (x) is in the nature of advertisement or surrogate advertisement or promotion of an online game that is not a permissible online game, or of any online gaming intermediary offering such an online game;”
• The advisory along with enclosed earlier advisories is available at the link below. https://mib.gov.in/sites/default/files/Advisory%20dated%2025.08.2023%20with%20enclosures.pdf
[Press Release ID 1952004]
