India sees surge in offshore betting ads despite RMG ban
Offshore betting advertisements accounted for most advertising violations in India during FY26, according to the latest report from the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). During FY26 (April 2025 to March 2026), ASCI reviewed 11,581 cases, marking a 21 per cent increase from the previous year, and examined 9,841 advertisements, up 37 per cent year-on-year.
Of the total violations recorded, 6,933 were linked to offshore betting platforms. ASCI said digital platforms accounted for 97.3 per cent of all cases reviewed. The increase came after the implementation of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA), which bans online real-money gaming and related advertising. In the eight months leading up to the law, ASCI was tracking an average of 594 offshore betting ads per month. In the four months that followed, that figure climbed to 795, a reminder that legislation, however well-intentioned, does not automatically translate into compliance when operators are determined to find a way around it.
Key statistics
The headline numbers from ASCI’s annual report reveal where the real problem areas lie. Around three-quarters of violations involved harmful product promotions, while deceptive claims featured in more than a quarter of cases, with plenty of ads managing to tick both boxes at once. The overall 86 per cent compliance rate is positive on the surface, but it obscures the tenacious difficulties that remain: aggressive offshore betting incentives and detrimental advertising continue to cause authorities the most grief. What particularly concerns ASCI is how sophisticated the offshore betting operators have become in their outreach, systematically using social media, influencers, affiliate networks, and even messaging apps to reach Indian consumers, all while sitting comfortably outside the jurisdiction of the rules meant to stop them.
Sudhanshu Vats, chairman, ASCI, said, “This year’s complaints data is the reflection of an advertising ecosystem that is being reshaped by intense competition, speed and digital amplification. The report’s findings underline the urgent need for stronger accountability, better substantiation standards, responsible influencer practices and preventive approaches to governance in digital advertising.”
(Source: ASCI)
Unexpected surge in betting promotions
The implementation of PROGA in August 2025 was expected to put a dent in offshore betting promotions, but the figures tell a different tale. Rather than pulling back, advertisers appear to have doubled down, with average monthly offshore betting commercials increasing from 594 before the regulation to 795 after it went into effect. Offshore betting ended up dominating FY26’s violation landscape, accounting for 6,933 of the cases ASCI flagged, with a total of 7,927 such ads tracked across 2025. The reason these promotions keep slipping through is not hard to understand, they have largely moved into the harder-to-police corners of the internet, spreading through influencer tie-ups, affiliate networks, and private online groups where oversight is thin and enforcement is anything but straightforward.
Tougher regulations, it turns out, are insufficient on their own. Some operators have responded to increased scrutiny by ramping up or simply switching to more difficult-to-monitor digital channels. Others operate entirely outside of India, putting them substantially beyond the scope of domestic enforcement. Many operators frequently refresh their content and change their methods in order to keep one step ahead of any action taken against them. And with the financial advantages still large and online venues easily accessible, there is no incentive for these operators to cease. The rules may have changed, but the incentives have not.
Primary channel for misleading advertising
The ASCI report paints a pretty stark picture of where misleading advertising has migrated, almost entirely online, with digital platforms accounting for 97.3 per cent of violations while traditional media has largely kept its house in order. Influencers have emerged as a particular pressure point, especially around betting promotions, which made up more than half of influencer-related violations in FY26. Of the 1,609 influencer ads that came under review, nearly every single one needed fixing, whether for vague disclosures, unsubstantiated claims, or outright promotion of restricted categories. The offshore betting problem, in particular, has been hard to ignore between April and December 2025, ASCI flagged 854 influencer posts tied to illegal betting platforms, with some accounts appearing to have built their entire content strategy around promoting them.
One of the most difficult features of the modern advertising landscape is sheer pace. By the time regulators become aware of a problematic ad, influencer partnerships and algorithm-driven feeds may have already placed it in front of millions. Keeping track of this is difficult since the digital economy is vast and fragmented, and the distinction between authentic material and paid promotion has never been more blurred. Native ads, affiliate discounts, and user-generated posts all appear in the same stream, making it impossible to distinguish between organic and paid messaging.
ASCI’s proactive monitoring strategy
To stay up with the problems of digital advertising, ASCI has moved its focus to proactive monitoring. Traditional complaint-driven approaches frequently lag, as advertisements can reach a large audience before investigations start.
To solve this issue, ASCI currently employs automated techniques to analyse massive amounts of internet content, indicating potential infractions early and prioritising review cases. This technology-driven strategy enables regulators to function at the scale demanded in today’s digital surroundings.
ASCI has also increased its partnership with government agencies, such as the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and sector-specific regulators, such as the Telangana Real Estate Regulatory Authority.
Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General, ASCI, noted, “In the digital era, ASCI has constantly pushed the boundaries on consumer protection. Our proactive monitoring system has allowed us to act at a scale and speed that complaint-driven models cannot match.”
Industry compliance and positive developments
The ASCI Annual Complaints Report brings some genuinely good news on the compliance front. Overall, rates have increased from 83 per cent to 86 per cent, a slight but significant improvement that implies advertisements are becoming more receptive to examination. Perhaps more significant is that 61 per cent of flagged ads were voluntarily deleted or adjusted when advertisers were simply told of the problem, demonstrating the industry’s propensity to self-correct when issues are identified.
Traditional media, TV and print, continues to set the benchmark, holding steady at a 97 per cent compliance rate. That is hardly surprising given the decades of established review processes and professional norms baked into those channels.
On the regulatory side, clearer guidelines around digital advertising is on the horizon. Influencer disclosure rules and restrictions on offshore betting promotions are among the areas expected to be addressed as part of broader review discussions later this year, developments that much of the industry has been anticipating for a while.
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