New Delhi: The Indian government on Thursday asked endorsers and influencers on social media to refrain from promoting or advertising offshore online betting and gambling platforms. The rule would also apply to surrogate advertisements.

“These advertisements have a significant financial and socio-economic implications of online betting and gambling on consumers, particularly the youth”, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting said.

The Ministry has also asked online advertisement intermediaries not to target such promotional content towards Indian audiences and urged social media intermediaries to conduct “sensitization” against such media on their platforms.

Failure to comply with the directives may lead to proceedings under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 including removal or disabling of social media posts or accounts and penal action under the applicable statutes.

The Ministry also reiterated an earlier advisory by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) which expressed concerns regarding endorsements of betting or gambling platforms by celebrities and influencers to endorse and promote their betting activities.

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