IPL, election are all fair game on illegal betting apps
NEW DELHI : Amid the Supreme Court's teardown on misleading advertisements by Patanjali and other consumer goods companies, a more sinister issue of problematic ads has emerged, this time involving illegal betting apps and India's biggest sporting extravaganza, the Indian Premier League. Some of these betting platforms are also accepting punts on the world's largest democratic exercise: India's national election. The Advertising Standards Council of India has in the past few weeks flagged more than 500 such violative online advertisements by such illegal betting platforms.
The brazen advertising by such apps exposes a wider problem of betting on mega events such as the IPL, reminiscent of the scandals that plagued Indian cricket in the 1990s. While illegal betting rings have thrived even after government crackdowns, they have mostly remained below the radar. The advertising council, a self-regulatory body backed by the ministry of consumer affairs, has started crawling the internet to expose these illegal betting apps, but platforms like 1xBET, JannatBook247, MostBet, WinBuzz, Satta Sport, and YuvrajOnline Book continue to openly advertise online.
These apps exploit loopholes in regulations to promote themselves extensively on social media, public transportation, and even on hoardings across the country. In fact, ads by 1xBET persistently feature on hoardings and cabs in urban areas. The ministry of information and broadcasting has issued several advisories against those found advertising for betting companies.
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