Illegal betting and gambling ads have proliferated digital media in new formats. In response, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) referred 890 such ads to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) for further action. Among these, 831 Instagram posts displayed betting tickers, which directed viewers to offshore betting platforms. These tags and tickers appear on fan and community pages on Instagram, with some page owners reportedly earning daily amounts between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000 by featuring these logos.

Additionally, 50 websites and social media pages were identified as promoting illegal betting apps and platforms, and nine influencer posts were found endorsing illegal betting services.

Mostbet7 has topped the ad violations list with 347 violations.

This surge highlights the need for continued vigilance and regulatory action to curb illegal gambling promotions on digital platforms. ASCI will work closely with MIB to surface such violations.

ASCI released its Half-Yearly Complaints Report 2024-25, revealing a significant presence of misleading and illegal advertisements in the real estate and offshore betting sectors.

Between April and September 2024, ASCI reviewed 4016 complaints and investigated 3031 ads; 98% of these ads reviewed needed some modification. ASCI’s continued vigil on digital platforms saw a total of 2830 ads being processed, representing 93% of the total ads taken up.

Of the ads investigated, 2087 ads were in violation of the law. Of these, 1027 were reported to the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) under an MoU between ASCI and MahaRERA. A further 890 ads promoting illegal betting were reported to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB), and 156 were escalated to the Ministry of Ayush in violation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (DMR) Act; 10 ads directly promoting liquor and four other ads regarding deepfakes were reported to MIB.

Of the remaining cases 944 that were formally investigated, 53% of the ads were not contested by the advertiser on receipt of intimation of the complaint from ASCI.

Realty (34%), illegal betting (29%), healthcare (8%), personal care (7%), and food & beverage (6%) featured as the top five categories with the highest code violations.

Other firms flagged in the ASCI Half-Yearly Complaints Report 2024-25 are L’Oréal India Private Limited with 11 ads processed, 9 ads for Hindustan Unilever (HUL), 7 ads for Honasa Consumer Private Limited, followed by Patanjali Ayurved Limited with 4 ads, and United Breweries Limited, Urban Company, and Wipro, each with 3 ads.

Real Estate ad violations

1027 ads were shortlisted from 2,115 ads screened in the REAL ESTATE SECTOR in Maharashtra for potential violations of regulatory requirements under the applicable MahaRERA Act. These ads were reviewed for compliance with mandatory disclosure norms, including the presence of registration numbers, QR codes, and other essential information. 99% of the ads shortlisted were found to be in violation of the MahaRERA Act.

ASCI received prompt compliance in 59% of the cases, where advertisers either modified their ads to include the missing information or withdrew them entirely to ensure alignment with regulatory standards. Non-compliant ads were flagged of to MahaRERA for further action. Taking action against the violative advertisers, MahaRERA penalised 628 real estate developers, imposing a penalty of Rs. 88.90 Lakhs. ASCI continues to work with MahaRERA to bring greater transparency to the real estate sector.

Manisha Kapoor, CEO of ASCI, remarked, “Our work in partnership with government regulators in sectors such as betting and realty is creating an impact. While there is a long way to go, such partnerships are able to create an impetus for better oversight. Greenwashing is another area where we released guidelines easier in 2024, as this will remain an area of focus for us. With constant progress in reducing our turn-around time for complaint management, ASCI’s deep experience and tech-supported efforts are evolving to provide better protection to the consumers of India.”