EXCLUSIVE: B4U to face music for airing illegal betting and gambling platform’s ads

With the festive season approaching, illegal betting and gambling platforms are aggressively advertising in India to acquire users. Despite the ban on advertisements of gambling and betting companies, B4U Music, one of India's leading music channels, aired advertisements of the betting and gambling company, Melbet.

On October 3, 2022, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued an advisory to private satellite TV channels stating, “Betting and gambling are illegal activities in most parts of India. As per Paragraph 9 of the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements 2022, under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, since betting and gambling are illegal, advertisements for online offshore betting and gambling platforms are also illegal.”

The advisory further clarified, “In this context, it is important to note that according to the Advertising Code under the Cable TV Network Regulation Act, 1995, ads for betting platforms, being illegal activities, cannot be aired on TV channels.”

The Advertisement Standards Council of India (ASCI) has declined to comment on the issue.

Storyboard18 also reached out to B4U Television Network India Limited for a statement. The story will be updated with the company's response.

A spokesperson from a real-money gaming company stated, “Despite advisories issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and other government bodies banning the advertisement of betting and gambling companies, popular TV channels like B4U Music are violating the law by airing ads of notorious betting firms.”

The spokesperson added, “Melbet is one of the notorious platforms involved in money laundering and tax evasion in our country. The government should take stringent action to curb such activities.”

The All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) has now decided to escalate the issue to the government. Roland Landers, CEO of AIGF, said, “We have advocated against offshore gambling platforms since our inception and have always maintained a zero-tolerance policy toward any activity promoting illegal gambling or betting. We are committed to supporting the government and law enforcement agencies in enforcing these prohibitions.”

Landers continued, “We have an active compliance and monitoring system. By working closely with our members, industry partners, and other stakeholders, we track trends and regularly report instances of illegal activities, including ads from unregulated platforms. While we do not have direct regulatory authority over broadcasters, we actively engage with stakeholders to ensure compliance with advertising laws and guidelines.”

In March 2024, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, issued a strict advisory banning the advertising, promotion, and endorsement of such illegal activities, including betting and gambling disguised as gaming.

Under the Consumer Protection Act of 2019, the CCPA prohibits the endorsement of illegal activities such as betting and gambling.

According to the 2021 Global Report on Corruption in Sport from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the size of the illegal market for betting and gambling is estimated to be around $350 billion and $1.7 trillion, respectively.

Think Change Forum (TCF), an independent think tank, had released a report titled “State of the Betting and Gambling Industry in India.” According to the report, the offshore sports betting market receives an estimated $100 billion annually in deposits from India and has been growing at 20 percent per year in the last three years post-pandemic.