New Delhi: The real money gaming industry has surpassed the education sector to emerge as the most violative in advertising, according to a recent report by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). The report revealed that 92% of gaming advertisements reviewed during FY23 were not compliant with real-money gaming guidelines, failed to alert consumers to financial loss and addiction risks. Moreover, only half of the ads were voluntarily modified after being called out, making the sector the least compliant.
In its annual complaints report for financial year 2022-23, ASCI said that it reviewed 7,928 advertisements across various mediums, including print, digital, and television, marking a twofold increase in scrutiny over the past two years.
While print and television advertisers demonstrated high compliance at 94%, the overall compliance dropped to 81% due to digital. Digital ads emerged as not only the primary violator, accounting for 75% of reviewed ads, but also the least compliant, raising grave concerns over online consumer safety.
ASCI had earlier released guidelines for the real-money gaming sector in December 2020, followed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issuing an advisory urging compliance.
The report also pointed to a concerning rise in misleading ads featuring celebrities, processing 503 such ads, an 804% increase from the previous year's 55. Alarmingly, celebrities did not provide evidence of due diligence in 97% of the processed ads, as required by the Consumer Protection Act, thereby exacerbating the issue due to the significant impact celebrity-endorsed ads have on consumers.
Influencer violations stood at 26% with 2,039 complaints processed against them. Personal care, food and beverage, and fashion and lifestyle sectors topped the influencer-related violations.
"The digital advertising landscape is truly challenging us all. We will continue to act as the conscience keeper of the Indian ad industry with transparency and future-facing expertise,” said NS Rajan, chairman of ASCI.
Manisha Kapoor, CEO and secretary general, ASCI, said, “The complaints analysis for 2022–23 clearly shows that the digital medium is leading in terms of violative ads. This raises significant concerns around online consumer safety and trust. Advertisers, content creators and platforms must come together to address this issue on an urgent basis to protect consumer interests. In addition, the sharp increase in the number of violative gaming ads needs serious attention from the industry.”
