The Indian government is intensifying its crackdown on social media influencers who promote online gambling.
This move marks a significant step in India's efforts to curb unregulated gambling activities nationwide. The online gambling market in India is growing rapidly, projected to reach $2.7 billion in 2023, with influencers playing a key role in promoting these platforms.
To protect vulnerable consumers, especially the youth, authorities have started issuing warnings and taking legal actions against those promoting online gambling sites.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has made it clear that promoting gambling sites violates Indian law, as many of these platforms operate without proper regulation. Recently, lawsuits have been filed against influencers who market these services on popular platforms like Instagram and YouTube.
Many gambling operators use enticing offers (such as no-deposit free spins) to attract users, often prominently featured on affiliate sites centered around India. These promotions can lure consumers into participating in gambling platforms without fully understanding the risks, and authorities are determined to curb this practice.
Influencers have become a significant marketing tool for online gambling platforms, promoting games like poker, rummy, and other gambling activities to their large following.
These promotions often portray gambling in a glamorous light, emphasizing potential cash rewards while downplaying the risks of addiction and financial loss. This makes it easier for online gambling sites to penetrate the market, especially during peak seasons like the cricket season when gambling activities are expected to surge.
In response, the MIB has issued warnings advising influencers not to promote offshore gambling sites. These warnings highlight that such activities are illegal under the local Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules of 2021. Influencers who continue to promote these platforms face the risk of severe penalties, including hefty fines and even imprisonment.
States like Tamil Nadu have taken a particularly tough stance on these promotional activities. The Tamil Nadu Online Gambling Authority (TNOGA) has issued accountability notices to influencers involved in promoting gambling platforms. Violators may face hefty fines or up to three years in prison, indicating the authorities' serious intent to enforce the law.
Social media platforms themselves are also under scrutiny. The Indian government has called on these platforms to strengthen their content moderation policies, urging them to more effectively detect and remove gambling-related promotional activities. Additionally, the government has urged platforms to educate users about the dangers of gambling addiction and further tighten regulations on unregulated gambling promotions.
The rise of gambling content promoted by influencers has sparked widespread concerns about its impact on society. Gambling addiction can lead to severe financial strain, damaged interpersonal relationships, and serious mental health issues, particularly for younger audiences who are more susceptible to the influence of internet celebrities.
Critics argue that influencers often fail to emphasize these risks, thereby creating a misleading narrative about the ease of winning in online gambling.
This crackdown is part of a larger effort by the Indian government to regulate online content that could harm public welfare.
As legal actions against influencers and their platforms gain more attention, the digital environment for online gambling promotion is rapidly changing. Stricter regulations mean that influencers and social media companies must navigate a complex legal landscape or face severe consequences.
