Illegal Betting Ads Represent the Majority of Ad Violations in India

India continues to struggle with illegal gambling advertising, as unauthorized betting ads continue to comprise the majority of marketing-related violations. Official data shows that betting ad violations comprised approximately 75% of all violations for the period between April and September.

Many Breaches Were Tied to Sports Betting

According to the Advertising Standards Council of India’s (ASCI) report for the first half of the 2025-26 fiscal year, roughly three in four advertising violations were related to betting. The ASCI concluded that after receiving 6,841 complaints and investigating 6,117 separate ads. These figures suggest a 70% increase in complaints, as well as a 102% increase in investigated ads.

The ASCI noted that the increase does not necessarily reflect an increase in volume but highlights enhanced customer awareness, improved surveillance, and increased collaboration with regulators.

As mentioned, illegal betting ad violations comprised approximately 75% of all breaches. The ASCI reported that a total of 4,575 of the investigated ads were tied to illegal betting. The regulatory body added that it also identified 3 separate cases of surrogate advertising.

In the meantime, the body recorded 367 personal care ads, with the sector taking the second spot in terms of volume. The ASCI added that healthcare ad violations stood at 332 and food and beverage at 211. Lastly, the ASCI reported 71 education-related ad violations and noted that the 5 listed sectors collectively comprised 90% of all processed ads.

The ASCI noted that 98% of the investigated ads required modification.

Most Violations Happened Online

After examining the huge volume of complaints, the ASCI concluded that an overwhelming majority of ad violations occurred online. According to the report, digital platforms accounted for 97% of the cases, with Meta-owned platforms leading with 78.9% of all reported digital violations. The ASCI added that 13,7% of cases happened across various websites, 4.6% on Google platforms, and 3% at property portals.

Violations across traditional media, such as TV and newspapers, were responsible for less than 3% of the violations.

The ASCI added that it investigated some 1,173 influencer advertisements and discovered that 98% of them required modification. It added that 59% of the influencer promotions were tied to prohibited products and 76% of them violated India’s disclosure norms.

India Wants Customers to Be Able to Trust Ads

Manisha Kapoor, the ASCI’s chief executive officer and secretary general, was concerned with the continued prevalence of betting ads despite the ban. Kapoor also expressed disappointment with influencers’ apparent lack of standards.

According to Kapoor, consumer trust tends to be fragile, which is why India must uphold high standards in terms of advertising.

The silver lining, however, was an increase in uncontested cases and cases of voluntary compliance.