Offshore betting advertisements in India increased to an average of 795 per month in the four months following the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA), up from 594 per month in the eight months prior, according to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). Between January and December 2025, ASCI identified 7,927 offshore betting ads, with 6,933 flagged between April and December 2025 alone, making offshore betting the largest violative category under the online gaming ad ban.
ASCI’s annual report detailed that despite the ban on advertising online money games, offshore betting operators continued to run high volumes of ads. The council monitored these advertisements under a memorandum of understanding with Real Money Gaming Federations and escalated violations to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). While regulators acted on takedown requests, the report highlighted that the scale of violations remained significant, with sponsored ads on Meta platforms persisting even after PROGA came into effect.
The rise in offshore betting ads underscores ongoing challenges in enforcing India’s online gaming advertising regulations. Offshore betting accounted for 72.14% of the 9,611 advertisements found in violation and requiring modification during the fiscal year 2025-26, making it the single largest category of non-compliance. This situation reflects the broader regulatory difficulties in curbing illegal gambling promotions despite legislative efforts such as PROGA and the Public Gambling (Prohibition) Act.
ASCI’s report covering the full calendar year 2025 provides a detailed account of the advertising landscape, with 6,933 offshore betting ads flagged between April and December 2025. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre continue to receive escalations from ASCI, indicating ongoing enforcement activity against these violations.