The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has released its annual report on advertising violations in the local market for the period from April 2025 to March 2026. The report highlights significant issues surrounding the iGaming sector.
During the year, ASCI reviewed a total of 9,841 advertisements, with 93% of violations identified through its own monitoring rather than consumer complaints. Here are some key findings related to the iGaming segment:
- Scale of Violations: Offshore iGaming operators accounted for 72.14% of all advertising violations.
- Number of Violations: There were 7,927 advertisements found to be in violation in 2025, with 4,747 violations occurring from January to August and 3,180 from September to December.
- Digital Environment: A staggering 97.36% of violations occurred in the digital space, with 79.84% of these on Meta platforms.
Impact of the Ban:
The average number of advertisements from offshore operators increased to 594,795 per month before and after the ban. In contrast, violations among local RMG operators dropped from 34 to zero, with some reducing their activities or exiting the market entirely. Although advertising volume decreased on most platforms following the ban, it remained stable on Meta.
Influencer Segment:
From April to December 2025, 854 influencers promoted illegal operators. More than half of the violations among influencers were related to advertising prohibited categories, primarily gambling and alcohol.
In essence, the ban has primarily pushed local operators out of the market, while offshore operators have increased their advertising and continue to actively target the Indian audience. Some operators maintain over 60 domains and quickly resume advertising through new accounts and slightly altered brand names after being blocked. ASCI has reported these violations to the Ministry of Information and the cyber police, but they acknowledge that targeted bans are only marginally effective, and the actual volume of this advertising is likely much higher than recorded.