India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has ordered all forms of media to refrain from showing ads or promotions for online gambling ahead of this year’s Asia Cup cricket tournament, Yogonet reported August 28. The government considers online gambling to be illegal.
The next few weeks are very important for cricket. The 14th annual Asia Cup was set to start August 31, with the Cricket World Cup scheduled to begin October 5. India is competing against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong.
In its advisory, the ministry stated: “It is also observed that there is a tendency to spike promotion of such betting and gambling platforms during a major sporting event, especially cricket, and one such important international event is beginning in a few days from now.”
The ministry noted that the government recently acted against a network that took large amounts of cash from users of gambling apps and money-laundered it out of the country. It said such activities pose a threat to financial stability, to consumers, particularly minors. It said such laundered money is likely to be the source of sports betting ads.
The government issued similar advisories in June and October of 2023 and this year in April shortly before the Indian Premier League. The government considers online betting and gambling illegal activities, and so ads for them violate the Consumer Protection Act and the Press Council Act.
