The Advertising Standards Council of India ("ASCI") has entered into a strategicpartnership with major gaming industry federations to tackle the proliferation ofillegal offshore betting advertisements. Through a Memorandum ofUnderstanding effective January 2, 2025, ASCI has joined forces with theFederation of Indian Fantasy Sports, the All India Gaming Federation, and theE-Gaming Federation to establish a special monitoring cell. The initiative hasalready shown significant impact, with ASCI flagging 413 offshore bettingadvertisements to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 2025,following their previous action on 1,336 ads between April 2023 and March 2024.The partnership focuses on distinguishing between illegal betting operations andlegitimate real-money gaming platforms that operate under Indian laws. Themonitoring cell will screen advertisements for compliance with ASCI'sguidelines, which mandate responsible advertising practices, includingrestrictions on depicting minors and representing gaming winings as a primary source of income.
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