India asks Google not to run surrogate ads for foreign betting business

India has requested Google not to run surrogate advertisements for foreign betting businesses, citing a person familiar with the development in the ministry of information and broadcasting.

According to the reports, the letter addressed last week to Alphabet Inc's Google India ordered the firm to immediately remove any advertising, direct or surrogate, from betting sites such as Fairplay, PariMatch, and Betway in search results and YouTube.

The prime minister's office vetoed a proposal to exclusively regulate games of skill and exclude games of chance, according to the reports on December 4.

“After our last advisory on 3 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 told the reporters.

A government committee indicated in a draught report seen by Reuters earlier this month that India should establish a regulatory body to identify online games as skill or chance, implement laws to restrict forbidden forms, and take a tougher stance on gambling websites.