Centre Mulling Clampdown On Illegal Betting And Gambling Apps Flouting CCPA Guidelines

The consumer affairs ministry is mulling action against indirect and surrogate advertisements promoting illegal betting and gambling, especially during the cricket and election season, when such activities are on the surge.

As per Mint’s report, citing people familiar with the matter, the Centre is planning a crackdown as these ads are in clear violation of Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) guidelines.

This also comes months after the CCPA issued an advisory warning celebrities and influencers to refrain from promoting betting and gambling activities.

As per the report, CCPA has contacted the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to pinpoint all violators and initiate legal actions, such as imposing penalties and banning the operations of betting and gambling apps.

Betting and gambling are strictly prohibited under the Public Gambling Act of 1867 and deemed illegal across most regions of the country. Despite regulations, online betting platforms persist in advertising their services, raising concerns about the financial and socio-economic implications, particularly among the youth, as per CCPA.

As per CCPA’s latest advisory, any advertisement or endorsement of activities that are otherwise prohibited by law, such as but not limited to betting or gambling, will be subject to rigorous scrutiny.

“We don’t want to regulate regulators. Online gaming falls under MeitY’s purview, so we have asked them to review compliance issues with gaming apps and prepare a list of violators and the trend of its users,” a source told Mint.

Earlier, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) also issued multiple advisories to curb outdoor advertisements of betting and gambling platforms.

Last year, India banned 138 offshore betting platforms. Later, to combat illegal online gambling, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached INR 5.87 Cr from various individuals and entities under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

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