Editor's Pick: Remove online betting ads, Centre tells TV channels, news websites

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Monday issued an advisory to news websites, OTT platforms, and private television channels to not publish or broadcast advertisements of online betting platforms or any related products that showcase them. The ministry also said that violation may invite penal action. The ministry had issued a similar warning in June 2022, advising print, electronic, and digital media platforms to refrain from advertising online betting platforms. Betting and gambling can prove to be financially risky for consumers, especially the youth and children, the ministry had said. The ministry had also issued an advisory to private satellite TV channels in December 2020 to stick to Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) guidelines on advertisements of online gaming, which has the possibility of transcending into online betting. Despite the previous warning, some online offshore betting platforms had started using news websites as surrogate products to advertise on TV channels, the ministry said. “In respect of the advertisements of the surrogate news websites operated by the online betting platforms, it may be mentioned that the logos of the concerned news websites are strikingly similar to the betting platform. The concerned betting platforms, and the corresponding news websites, are also not registered with any legal authority under Indian laws.” According to the Consumer Affairs Department, such companies advertise themselves as professional sports blogs. Betting and gambling continue to be illegal in most parts of India, and the rules vary according to States. In September 2022, Reuters reported that a central government panel said that India should create a regulatory body to classify online games as either based on skill or chance and take a stricter stance on gambling websites. Foreign investors such as Tiger Global and Sequoia Capital have backed gaming startups Dream11 and Mobile Premier League, which are extremely popular in the fantasy cricket realm – viewed by many as a form of online betting. The outcomes of the report may be instrumental in shaping India’s mobile gaming industry that continues to grow in popularity and is estimated to reach $5 billion by 2025, from $1.5 billion this year. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more. Click here The Hindu’s Editorials Making every drop count: On the Jal Jeevan Mission Love and loss: On the Indonesia soccer match stampede The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Which company was founded by the late Tulsi Tanti, popularly known as India’s ‘wind man’? Suzlon Energy Vestas Energy WinWind Chiranjeevi Wind Energy To know the answer and to take the quiz, click here [logo] Editor's Pick 04 OCTOBER 2022 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Remove online betting ads, Centre tells TV channels, news websites The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Monday issued an advisory to news websites, OTT platforms, and private television channels [to not publish or broadcast]( advertisements of online betting platforms or any related products that showcase them. The ministry also said that violation may invite penal action. The ministry had issued a similar [warning in June 2022]( advising print, electronic, and digital media platforms to refrain from advertising online betting platforms. Betting and gambling can prove to be financially risky for consumers, especially the youth and children, the ministry had said. The ministry had also issued an advisory to private satellite TV channels in December 2020 to stick to Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) guidelines on advertisements of online gaming, which has the possibility of transcending into online betting. Despite the previous warning, some online offshore betting platforms had started using news websites as surrogate products to advertise on TV channels, the ministry said. “In respect of the advertisements of the surrogate news websites operated by the online betting platforms, it may be mentioned that the logos of the concerned news websites are strikingly similar to the betting platform. The concerned betting platforms, and the corresponding news websites, are also not registered with any legal authority under Indian laws.” According to the Consumer Affairs Department, such companies advertise themselves as professional sports blogs. Betting and gambling continue to be illegal in most parts of India, and the rules vary according to States. In September 2022, Reuters reported that [a central government panel]( said that India should create a regulatory body to classify online games as either based on skill or chance and take a stricter stance on gambling websites. Foreign investors such as Tiger Global and Sequoia Capital have backed gaming startups Dream11 and Mobile Premier League, which are extremely popular in the fantasy cricket realm – viewed by many as a form of online betting. The outcomes of the report may be instrumental in shaping India’s mobile gaming industry that continues to grow in popularity and is estimated to reach $5 billion by 2025, from $1.5 billion this year. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more. [Click here]( The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Making every drop count: On the Jal Jeevan MissionÂ]( [Arrow][Love and loss: On the Indonesia soccer match stampedeÂ]( The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Which company was founded by the late Tulsi Tanti, popularly known as India’s ‘wind man’? - Suzlon Energy - Vestas Energy - WinWind - Chiranjeevi Wind Energy To know the answer and to take the quiz, [click here]( Today’s Best Reads [[Exports drop 3.5% in September, imports slide below $60 billion for the first time in seven months] Exports drop 3.5% in September, imports slide below $60 billion for the first time in seven months]( [[North Korea fires missile over Japan, stopping trains and sparking warning message] North Korea fires missile over Japan, stopping trains and sparking warning message]( [[Online betting platform advertisements still visible on TV and digital media: I&B Ministry] Online betting platform advertisements still visible on TV and digital media: I&B Ministry]( [[Explained | 2022 Nobel Prize winner Svante Pääbo’s research on human evolution] Explained | 2022 Nobel Prize winner Svante Pääbo’s research on human evolution]( Copyright @ 2022, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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