New Delhi

India asked Alphabet-owned Google to stop displaying surrogate ads of overseas betting companies, a report by Mint newspaper claimed on Wednesday. The report cited a person aware of the development in the ministry of information and broadcasting, currently headed by Union Minister Anurag Thakur. The letter was reportedly sent last week to Alphabet Inc's Google India. 

Advertisment

It asked the company to immediately drop all advertising, direct or surrogate, from betting platforms such as Fairplay, PariMatch, Betway in search results and YouTube, the report said.

ALSO READ - Offshore betting sites are ending up with fatter pockets amid sparse regulations in India

On December 4, reports claimed that Prime Minister's Office (PMO) overruled a proposal to only regulate games of skill and leave out games of chance. India is expected to bring regulation of online gaming to all real-money games in the immediate future. 

Advertisment

“After our last advisory on 3rd October, TV channels and OTT (Over-the-top) players stopped showing surrogate ads of online betting firms, but it was brought to our notice that many such ads are running on YouTube and Google. We have asked Google to stop this immediately," a senior ministry official was quoted as saying by Livemint. 

WATCH - Gravitas: Will India regulate online gaming?

Advertisment

In September, a government panel stated in a draft report that India should create a regulatory body to classify online games as based on skill or chance, introduce rules to block prohibited formats and take a stricter stance on gambling websites.

India is concerned that many citizens are getting addicted to or losing money to online betting companies that are operating on the technicality of not having servers or a physical presence in India, an official told Livemint. 

Online betting is banned in many Indian states.

According to estimates by the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) published in the report, overall, â‚¹5,000 crore is being deposited in the accounts of multiple agents of betting  companies in India every month. But there is no clarity on where this money is going or how it’s being used, the lobby group claims.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.