The rapid growth, and the real danger of the negative impacts of RMG advertisements, prompted ASCI to develop advertising guidelines to ensure users are aware of the financial and addiction risks The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has introduced guidelines to make real-money gaming advertising safer and more responsible. The guidelines have been developed to ensure that such advertising makes users aware of financial and other risks that are associated with playing online games with real money winnings. As per a recent KPMG study, online gaming grew 45% in FY20 with the user base surpassing365 million by March 2020 on real-money games (RMGs). The card-based and fantasy segments both achieved strong traction. As India is a mobile-first country, more than 90% of online gamers play games on their phones. The online gaming market, worth more than$500 million now, could be worth $1.1 billion by 2021. In 2019, around 5.6 billion mobile gaming apps were downloaded in India – the highest in the world and representing nearly13% of gaming apps globally. Internet penetration in India is 31% and KMPG expects it to reach 53% by 2021 – which would give over 700 million people access to the internet and its wealth of gaming options. The rapid growth, and the real danger of the negative impacts of RMG advertisements, prompted ASCI to develop advertising guidelines to ensure users are aware of the financial and addiction risks. The government, via the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, The Department of Consumer Affairs as well as Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, have given these ASCI guidelines their full support and backing to comprehensively address growing concerns about the potentially misleading and harmful advertisements in the sector.
- No gaming advertisement may depict any person under the age of 18 years, or who appears to be under the age of 18, engaged in playing a game of ONLINE GAMING FOR REALMONEY WINNINGS, or suggest that such persons can play these games
- Every such gaming advertisement must carry the following disclaimer:
- Print/static: This game involves an element of financial risk and may be addictive. Please play responsibly and at your own risk
- Such a disclaimer should occupy no less than 20% of the space in the advertisement
- It should also SPECIFICALLY meet disclaimer guidelines 4 (i) (ii) (iv) and (viii) laid out in the ASCI code
- Audio/video: “This game involves an element of financial risk and may be addictive. Please play responsibly and at your own risk.”
- Such a disclaimer must be placed in normal speaking pace at the end of the advertisement
- It must be in the same language as the advertisement
- For audio-visual mediums, the disclaimer needs to be in both audio and visual formats
- The advertisements should not present ‘Online gaming for real money winnings’ as anincome opportunity or an alternative employment option.
- The advertisement should not suggest that a person engaged in gaming activity is in any way more successful as compared to others.