MeitY issued 1298 blocking directives against betting, gambling, gaming sites in 2022-24

The Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw wrote in a reply in Lok Sabha on March 19, that the ministry has issued 1298 blocking directions related to online betting/gambling/gaming websites between the year 2022-24.

The policies of the Central Government are aimed at ensuring an open, safe, trusted and accountable Internet for its users, said the ministry.

To help achieve this aim, the Central Government after extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders notified amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules”) under the Information Technology Act, 2000 (“IT Act”) to address various socio-economic concerns emanating from online games.

Under the updated rules, online gaming platforms and social media platforms must follow strict guidelines. They cannot host, store, or share any content that violates the law. They must also act quickly to remove illegal content, especially if it harms children or promotes money laundering or gambling.

The IT Act also allows the government to block access to certain websites or links if they threaten national security, public order, or relations with other countries. 

What is ASCI doing?

The Advertising Standards Council Of India is also taking strict measures to prevent the spreading addiction of online gaming and betting, especially with IPL around the corner. 

Manisha Kapoor, CEO & Secretary General, ASCI told e4m, “We’ve already been escalating concerns regarding betting ads to the government. This has been ongoing for the past 18 months—it’s not something we’re waiting for IPL to address. A significant amount of work has already been done in this regard and we are closely monitoring these ads.”

In a significant move to address the growing concerns over illegal betting and gambling advertisements of offshore entities, the ASCI had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) and the E-Gaming Federation (EGF), with effect from January 2, 2025. 

The MoU between ASCI and the online gaming industry federations establishes a framework to address these challenges through a special monitoring cell that will focus on screening and reporting offshore betting and gambling advertisements to the concerned ministries. The cell will also screen and process real-money gaming advertisements that are found to be in potential violation of the ASCI Code. 

In the half-yearly report of 2024-25, ASCI reported that illegal betting and gaming ads have proliferated digital media in new formats with nearly 29% of violative ads belonging to the illegal betting category. 

ASCI referred 890 such ads to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting 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 INR 2,000 and INR 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.

The report stated, “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. Through MIB efforts, many of these pages have been taken down.”