A new report by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has revealed Instagram as the platform of choice for illegal operators to advertise their products to the local populace.  

ASCI highlighted illegal offshore betting as a continuous “major concern” for the regulator, with a total of 890 ads being reported to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) – constituting 29% and taking second place from the total 2830 illegal adverts processed between April and September 2024. 

Of the 890 illicit adverts, 831 were in the form of Instagram posts on fan and community pages that displayed specific tags which then redirected users to offshore betting platforms. In addition, ASCI pinpointed 50 other websites and social media pages together with 9 influencers promoting illegal gambling platforms. 

As a result, a number of pages were promptly taken down after ASCI’s intervention that leveraged the regulator’s close collaboration with the government. 

Manisha Kapoor, CEO of ASCI, noted: “Our work in partnership with government regulators in sectors such as betting…is creating an impact. While there is a long way to go, such partnerships are able to create an impetus for better oversight.”

In its report, ASCI additionally noted that it has reduced its average turnaround time for complaints resolution from 30 to 18 days, targeting improved efficiency and speed for processing higher-order violations such as illegal gambling ads. 

“With constant progress in reducing our turn-around time for complaint management, ASCI’s deep experience and tech-supported efforts are evolving to provide better protection to the consumers of India,” Kapoor added.

As everywhere else, illegal operators in India not only possess a significant risk to users, but also threaten the state treasury. 

Currently, legal online gambling brands operating in India are subjected to a 28% GST levy, which was brought up by Modi’s cabinet from the previous 18% in October 2023. 

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