Refrain from promoting on-line betting platforms: I&B Ministry to print, digital, digital media

By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Monday suggested the print, digital and digital media to chorus from promoting on-line betting platforms, saying betting and playing are unlawful in “most parts” of the nation and pose important monetary and socio-economic danger for shoppers.

The ministry stated the advisory has been issued in bigger public curiosity and comes within the mild of cases of numerous ads of on-line betting web sites/platforms showing in print, digital, social and on-line media.

It has suggested the print and digital media to chorus from publishing ads of on-line betting platforms.

It has additionally suggested the web and social media, together with on-line commercial intermediaries and publishers, to not show such ads in India or goal such ads in direction of the Indian viewers.

“Betting and gambling, illegal in most parts of the country, pose significant financial and socio-economic risk for the consumers, especially youth and children, the advisory states. These advertisements on online betting have the effect of promoting this largely prohibited activity,” based on a ministry assertion.

In its advisory, the ministry famous that ads of on-line betting are “misleading” and they don’t “appear to be” in strict conformity with the Consumer Protection Act 2019, Advertising Code underneath the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995, and commercial norms underneath the Norms of Journalistic Conduct laid down by the Press Council of India underneath the Press Council Act, 1978.

The ministry stated it had issued an advisory to personal satellite tv for pc TV channels on December 4, 2020 asking them to stick to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) pointers on ads of on-line gaming, “which contained specific Do’s and Dont’s for static/print and audio-visual advertisements of online gaming.”

The ASCI pointers, which got here into impact from December 15, 2020, stipulated that no gaming commercial would depict any individual, underneath the age of 18 years or the one that seems to be underneath the age of 18, engaged in taking part in a sport of “online gaming for real money winnings”, or recommend that such individuals can play these video games.

“The advertisements should not present ‘online gaming for real money winnings’ as an income opportunity or an alternative employment option,” the rules stated, including, “The advertisement should not suggest that a person engaged in gaming activity is in any way more successful as compared to others.”

The ASCI pointers additionally supplied that each such “gaming advertisement” should carry a disclaimer which in case of print media ought to learn as “this game involves an element of financial risk and may be addictive. Please play responsibly and at your own risk.”

Such a disclaimer ought to occupy a minimum of 20 per cent of the house within the commercial, the ASCI pointers famous.

In case of the gaming ads in audio-video format, based on the ASCI pointers, the disclaimer ought to be run as “this game involves an element of financial risk and may be addictive. Please play responsibly and at your own risk.”

“For audio-visual mediums, the disclaimer needs to be in both audio and visual formats. Such a disclaimer must be placed in normal speaking pace at the end of the advertisement. It must be in the same language as the advertisement,” the rules added.