The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Wednesday issued an advisory asking celebrities, influencers, social media platforms, and other intermediaries to refrain from promoting or endorsing illegal betting and gambling activities.
The advisory comes after the consumer affairs ministry noted increasing instances of direct as well as surrogate advertisement and endorsements of activities such as betting or gambling, which are considered illegal.
“It has come to our attention that betting platforms are employing celebrities andinfluencers to endorse and promote their betting activities. Consequently endorsement
by celebrities gives an impression that indulging in such activity is acceptable,” said Rohit Kumar Singh, consumer affairs secretary and chief commissioner of CCPA, in the advisory.
Earlier too, the information and broadcasting ministry warned media platforms against promoting betting and gambling platforms. The online advertisement intermediaries have also been advised not to target such advertisements towards the Indian audience.
The advisory highlighted that the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022, categorically prohibit advertisements of products or services prohibited under any prevailing law.
“If any violation of the guidelines is found, stringent measures, as per the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, will be initiated against (those) involved, including manufacturers, advertisers, publishers, intermediaries, social media platforms, endorsers, and any other relevant stakeholders,” Singh added.
According to All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), lately there have been many advertisements promoting anti-national illegal online gambling platforms, which are increasingly being endorsed by sportspersons and actors from the Indian film industry.
“We hope that unlike earlier the TV networks, OTTs and news publishers will take this advisory seriously and not support these anti-national websites and give them prime-time airspace,” said Roland Landers, CEO of AIGF.
“This will also help in distinguishing legitimate Indian online skill gaming operators, which provide the highest player protection measures and are a form of entertainment against these illegal gambling sites which are the main reason for widespread consumer harm and problems,” Landers added.
Through the advisory, the government pointed out that the endorsements of such illegal activities have considerable financial and socio-economic implications, especially for the youth.
It said that engaging in the promotion or advertisement of online gambling and betting,
given its unlawful status in majority of the states, renders one equally liable for participating in an illegal activity.
Credit: The Financial Express