# Online Gaming Ad Rules in India: ASCI Code and the Law

Source: https://cricketin.org/legal/advertising-rules-online-gaming

[By Ananya Rathi](/authors/legal-writer), Legal and Compliance Writer. [Reviewed by Rajeev Sathe](/authors/editor-in-chief), Editor-in-Chief. Updated 1 Sep 2026. Editorial policy: https://cricketin.org/editorial-policy

18+ Betting money on cricket carries a direct risk of financial loss, and it can become an addiction. Real-money online gaming is banned across India under the PROG Act 2025, which came into force on 1 May 2026.

If betting is already costing you money you need, or sleep, or people close to you, the free Tele-MANAS helpline is **14416**, and it runs in 20 languages. Our [page on help for gambling harm](/guides/help-for-gambling-harm-india) lists what else exists.

---

Section 6 bans money game ads in India, direct or indirect. What surrogate advertising means, how influencers are exposed and what the ASCI code requires.

Ads for online money games are banned in India. The ban is Section 6 of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (PROG Act). It covers direct ads. It covers indirect ones too. Section 9(2) sets the price: up to two years in jail, or a fine up to ₹50 lakh, or both. The rule reaches creators and publishers, not just operators.

This page shows what indirect promotion means. It also covers surrogate ads, the personal risk for creators, the ASCI disclaimer code, and what all this does to a content site like ours.

## Section 6 in plain words

One short section changed ad law in India. Section 6 of the PROG Act bans ads for money games. It covers an ad that promotes such a game. It also covers an ad that pushes a person to play one. Direct and indirect ads are both inside the ban ([Nishith Desai Associates](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)).

The banned acts go well past "running an ad". Making the ad counts. So does helping it, pushing for it, or being involved in any other way. [PRS Legislative Research](https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-bill-2025) logs the same ban in its Bill summary.

The penalty sits in Section 9(2). It is up to two years in jail, or a fine up to ₹50 lakh, or both. A repeat offence moves to Section 9(5). There the floor is two years and ₹50 lakh. The roof is three years and ₹1 crore ([India Code](https://upload.indiacode.nic.in/view-casepdf?type=act&id=AC_CEN_45_0_00004_2025-32_1778133559220)). Note the small change in wording. On a repeat it becomes jail and a fine, with a set floor.

The Act began on 1 May 2026 ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)). So any ad plan written before that date needs a fresh read. The wider frame sits in [our guide to the Act](/legal/prog-act-2025-explained).

**Table 1. The two sections that decide an advertising question**

| Section | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Section 6, Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 | Bans ads that promote an online money game, or induce a person to play one, directly or indirectly. Covers making, aiding, abetting, inducing or otherwise being involved in causing such an ad | [Nishith Desai Associates](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586) |
| Section 9(2) | Up to 2 years jail, or fine up to ₹50 lakh, or both | [India Code](https://upload.indiacode.nic.in/view-casepdf?type=act&id=AC_CEN_45_0_00004_2025-32_1778133559220) |
| Section 9(5) | Repeat offence: 2 to 3 years jail and a fine of ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore | [India Code](https://upload.indiacode.nic.in/view-casepdf?type=act&id=AC_CEN_45_0_00004_2025-32_1778133559220) |

## What counts as indirect promotion

The word "indirect" does the heavy lifting here. The law does not need to see a logo and a join button to call something an ad.

Our sources do not print a closed list of indirect forms. So we will not invent one. What we can do is show the patterns the Government has already gone after. You can draw the line from there.

- Deals with film stars and creators, direct or indirect. The consumer watchdog said these would face hard scrutiny ([Press Information Bureau](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2015952)).
- Surrogate ads for offshore betting and gambling sites. The Ministry named these in so many words ([the same PIB advisory](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2015952)).
- Ad targeting aimed at Indian users by ad networks. The Ministry warned them off ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2015952)).

No source we have read gives an official test for the point at which content becomes indirect promotion under Section 6. Any longer list of examples needs either a rule from the Authority or a decided case behind it.

## Surrogate advertising, and why it stopped working

Surrogate advertising is easy to describe. You advertise a thing you are allowed to advertise. Everyone knows you mean something else. A brand name goes on a product nobody buys. The real business gets the eyeballs.

In betting the surrogate was often a news or sports site. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stepped in. It told stars and creators on social media to stop pushing offshore betting and gambling sites. Surrogate ads were named as well ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2015952)).

Three named results follow, and all three are practical. A case under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Take-down or blocking of the post or the account. Penal action under other laws ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2015952)).

The advisory also pulls away a comfort blanket. Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000 usually shields a platform from blame for what users post. Sub-section (3)(b) removes that shield. It goes once the platform knows, or once the Government tells it. Then the post must come down fast ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2015952)).

Now add Section 6 of the PROG Act on top ([India Code](https://upload.indiacode.nic.in/view-casepdf?type=act&id=AC_CEN_45_0_00004_2025-32_1778133559220)). The surrogate route gets very costly. We cover the offshore side of this on [our page on offshore apps](/legal/offshore-betting-apps-india).

## Influencers and personal liability

This is the part that scares people, and it should. These rules do not only bite firms.

The Ministry sent its advisory to all endorsers and creators on social media. Brands were not the only target ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2015952)). It also repeated an older advisory of 6 March 2024 from the Central Consumer Protection Authority. That one flagged film stars and creators who endorse betting sites.

Under the PROG Act the risk is personal by design. Section 6 catches any person who makes, aids, abets, induces or is in any other way involved in making such an ad ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)). Our sources show no way out for a creator who says they were only paid to post.

One more point from the enforcement side. Officers may enter and search a place with no warrant. That reach takes in digital records, email and social media accounts. They may also arrest a suspect found during the search ([PRS](https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-bill-2025)). If your whole business runs on a phone, read that twice.

We have found no published case against a single creator under Section 6 or Section 9(2). We set out the text and the advisories here. We do not claim to know how it is being enforced.

## What the ASCI code actually says

The ad self-regulator had rules for real-money gaming long before the ban. The body is the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). Its code still helps you see how a disclaimer is meant to look.

ASCI put out the rules in Mumbai on 24 November 2020. They began on 15 December 2020. They apply to ads the law allows ([ASCI press release](https://www.ascionline.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/press-release-gaming-guidelines.pdf)). That last phrase matters a lot now. If the game cannot be advertised at all, a neat disclaimer will not save the ad.

**Table 2. The ASCI real-money gaming guidelines, as published**

| Rule | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Disclaimer text | "This game involves an element of financial risk and may be addictive. Please play responsibly and at your own risk" |
| Print and static ads | The disclaimer should occupy no less than 20% of the space in the ad |
| Audio and video ads | Read at normal speaking pace at the end, in the same language, and in both audio and visual form on audio-visual media |
| Under 18 | No ad may show a person under 18, or who appears to be under 18, playing for real money winnings, or suggest they can play |
| Income claims | Real-money gaming must not be presented as an income opportunity or an alternative to employment |
| Success claims | An ad must not suggest a person who games is more successful than others |

Every row in Table 2 comes from the [ASCI press release on the gaming guidelines](https://www.ascionline.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/press-release-gaming-guidelines.pdf). [ICLG](https://iclg.com/practice-areas/gambling-laws-and-regulations/india) adds two points on how the code works. It applies to ads on cable and satellite TV, gambling ads included. It also bars ads for goods the law bans.

The watchdog escalates as well. ASCI flagged about 700 betting and gambling ads that broke the code. It sent them to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The window ran from April to August 2024 ([ICLG](https://iclg.com/practice-areas/gambling-laws-and-regulations/india)).

Keep the two systems apart in your head. ASCI is self-rule, with a route up to the Ministry. Section 6 is criminal law, with jail terms ([India Code](https://upload.indiacode.nic.in/view-casepdf?type=act&id=AC_CEN_45_0_00004_2025-32_1778133559220)).

## What can still be advertised

The ban is about money games. It is not about all games. Two groups stay outside it. Both are marked by one thing: no stake.

Take e-sports first. Section 2(c) sets four tests. The game must sit inside a multi-sport event. It must run as an organised contest under set rules. It must be recognised under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. Entry fees and prizes for how you play are fine. Stakes, wagers and side bets are not ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)).

Social games are simpler. Under Section 2(1)(i) there is no stake and no hope of winning money. A monthly fee or an access fee is still fine ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)).

One warning for marketers. Calling a product an e-sport does not make it one. A public interest case in the Supreme Court makes that very point. It asks for orders against sites said to dress money games up as social games or e-sports ([theIGaming](https://theigaming.eu/2026/08/07/india-supreme-court-final-hearing-online-gaming-act-2025/)). Those challenges are set for a final hearing, and the Act has not been put on hold ([CDC Gaming](https://cdcgaming.com/brief/supreme-court-of-india-to-hear-challenges-against-igaming-laws/)). The Authority can also rule on its own that a given game is a money game ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)).

## Who else the rule reaches

Section 6 names no trade, so the net is wide. It helps to walk the chain of people who touch a gaming ad.

**Table 3. Roles in an advertising chain and where the risk sits**

| Role | Why Section 6 can apply |
|---|---|
| The operator | It is the one promoted, and Section 5 already covers offering the game itself |
| The agency or producer | Making or causing an ad to be made is the banned act |
| The creator or celebrity | An endorsement is a promotion, and the advisory addresses endorsers directly |
| The publisher or site owner | Carrying the ad is involvement in making it available |
| The ad network | Targeting Indian audiences was the subject of an express advisory |
| The platform hosting it | Safe harbour can fall away once unlawful content is flagged and left up |

That reach comes straight from the words of Section 6. It covers making, aiding, abetting, inducing and being involved in any other way. The wording is set out by [Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586). The points on endorsers, ad networks and safe harbour come from [PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2015952). The Authority can also give orders to people who supply ads for online games ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)).

## How to check your own content in five minutes

Do you publish anything on cricket in India? Then run this list over your last ten posts. It is not legal advice. It is the same test we use on ourselves.

- **Is there a link to a place where money can be staked?** If yes, that is the first thing to cut.
- **Does the post name an operator in a good light?** A name plus praise reads as promotion. The disclaimer will not change that.
- **Does it quote a bonus, an offer or a code?** Those exist to move a reader towards a deposit.
- **Does it hint that money can be made?** The ad code already barred pitching real-money gaming as a way to earn ([ASCI press release](https://www.ascionline.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/press-release-gaming-guidelines.pdf)).
- **Would a reader under 18 be drawn in?** The code bars showing under-18s playing for money prizes, or hinting that they may ([ASCI](https://www.ascionline.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/press-release-gaming-guidelines.pdf)).
- **Is the post older than May 2026?** Old posts that describe a legal market need a rewrite. The Act came into force on 1 May 2026 ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)).

A last word on tone. Nothing in Section 6 stops you from explaining how betting works ([India Code](https://upload.indiacode.nic.in/view-casepdf?type=act&id=AC_CEN_45_0_00004_2025-32_1778133559220)). You can still show what the odds cost a bettor. You can still point to help for harm. What the law stops is a push towards a stake. That line is easy to work with. This whole site is built around it.

## How this changes content sites, including ours

Time to turn the rule on ourselves. The honest answer is that Section 6 reshapes how a site like this can be built.

The old Indian betting site was a ranked list of operators. It came with join links and bonus figures. Under Section 6 that model is promotion of a money game, direct or indirect ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)). And the publisher wears the risk through Section 9(2) ([India Code](https://upload.indiacode.nic.in/view-casepdf?type=act&id=AC_CEN_45_0_00004_2025-32_1778133559220)).

So here is what we never publish. No operator names. No ratings, no mini-reviews, no bonus figures, no promo codes. No download links and no partner links. There is no page where that appears. That is a legal choice, not a matter of taste.

What is left is useful, and it is what we write instead.

- Law and tax explainers, such as [the current legal position](/legal/online-betting-law-india) and [how tax is held back on winnings](/legal/tds-on-winnings-india).
- Maths that shows what a bet costs, such as [the fee inside the odds](/guides/what-is-overround) and [expected value](/guides/expected-value-explained).
- Cricket know-how with no stake attached, such as [cricket formats](/guides/cricket-formats-explained).
- Harm reduction, such as [help for gambling harm in India](/guides/help-for-gambling-harm-india).

Do you write or post about cricket in India? Then the same rules apply to you. One paid story about a money game sits inside Section 6. The advisory on surrogate ads names creators by role ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2015952)). Our [editorial policy](/editorial-policy) sets out the standards we hold ourselves to. [The legal hub](/legal) maps the rest of this section.

## Questions people ask

### Can a website still list betting apps in India?

No. Section 6 bans ads that promote a money game, directly or indirectly ([Nishith Desai Associates](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)). Section 9(2) adds jail or a fine ([India Code](https://upload.indiacode.nic.in/view-casepdf?type=act&id=AC_CEN_45_0_00004_2025-32_1778133559220)).

### What is surrogate advertising in this context?

You push a betting brand through something else, such as a lookalike news site. The Ministry advisory names surrogate ads for offshore sites in so many words ([Press Information Bureau](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2015952)).

### Are influencers personally at risk?

The advisory speaks to endorsers and creators themselves ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2015952)). Section 6 covers any person involved in making such an ad ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)).

### What does the ASCI disclaimer rule require?

A set line on risk and addiction. In print or static ads it must fill at least a fifth of the space. In audio and video ads it must be both heard and seen ([ASCI press release](https://www.ascionline.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/press-release-gaming-guidelines.pdf)).

### Can e-sports still be advertised?

E-sports and social games with no stake sit outside the money game group ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)). Calling a stake-based product an e-sport does not move it there.

## More from the legal hub

- [GST on Online Gaming in India](/legal/gst-on-online-gaming)
- [Offshore Betting Apps in India](/legal/offshore-betting-apps-india)
- [Is Online Cricket Betting Legal in India](/legal/online-betting-law-india)
- [PROG Act 2025 Explained](/legal/prog-act-2025-explained)
- [State Gambling Laws in India](/legal/state-by-state)
- [Supreme Court on Online Gaming](/legal/supreme-court-online-gaming-cases)
- [TDS on Online Gaming Winnings](/legal/tds-on-winnings-india)
- [APK Sideloading Risks on Android](/guides/apk-sideloading-risks)
- [Cricket Bet Types Explained](/guides/cricket-bet-types-explained)
- [Caribbean Premier League 2026 — live schedule and table](/leagues/cpl)