Illegal betting and gambling platforms such as 1xBet, Parimatch, Stake, Fairplay and BateryBet drew a staggering 5.4 billion visits in FY25, with Parimatch alone attracting more traffic than Amazon, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Hotstar, Quora, or Reddit, a study by CUTS International has revealed.
Some offshore operators have even adopted cash-on-delivery payment models, allowing minors to place bets without parental knowledge or access to digital payment. In such cases, agents physically collect cash from users before crediting it to their gaming wallets.
“This method significantly lowers the barrier to entry, particularly for minors who may not have access to digital payment systems,” the consumer-focused public policy think tank said in the report.
The study also highlighted the rise of ‘surrogate’ websites such as batery.ai that mask their true purpose by mimicking legitimate gaming or tech platforms, misleading users as well as search engines—so that they can exploit SEO (search engine optimisation) techniques to attract users. One such domain, battery-bet.in, alone logged 276.6 million visits last fiscal.
“The use of the ‘.ai’ domain—a popular top-level domain associated with technology and innovation—further obfuscates the platform’s true nature, lending an unwarranted sense of legitimacy,” the report said.
Illegal betting and gambling have long posed a serious challenge in India, luring users, particularly youth, into high stakes wagering through flashy platforms and deceptive advertisements.
According to Digital India Foundation, annual deposits into these illegal betting and gambling networks now exceed $100 billion and are growing 30% per year.
These unauthorised operators are constantly evolving, leveraging sophisticated digital marketing tactics to bypass regulatory restrictions and advertising bans, especially across social media platforms, influencer content, and clone websites.
A recent report by the Advertising Standards Council of India showed that the online betting sector is the biggest violator of the self-regulatory body’s code, accounting for 43% of 7,199 complaints it investigated in FY25. A total of 3,081 ads were linked to illegal betting platforms, including 318 promotions by social media influencers.
These key channels include YouTube—through creator/influencer integrations, embedded links in video descriptions, and promotional livestreams—as well as Instagram and Facebook—via stories, influencers, posts, brand pages, and sports fan pages.
Platforms like X are often used for targeted ads, affiliate links, or meme-based engagement, the report by CUTS said.
Social media giant Meta last week introduced a new advertising policy which allowed only certified gaming companies to advertise on Meta platforms. This certification could be obtained from three industry federations – the E-Gaming Federation (EGF), All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) and Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS).
Anuraag Saxena, chief executive of EGF, said the move will create a reference for advertisers to whitelist legitimate skill-based gaming entities. “This differentiation will be rooted in a rigorous analysis of state-wise legal interpretations, statistical modelling and judicial review,” he explained.
Roland Landers, chief executive of AIGF, said, “Contravention of advertisement guidelines by any intermediary including online skill gaming will be governed by the law of the land as applicable to digital intermediaries.”
However, certification alone cannot solve the magnanimous problem of surrogate advertising through embedded ads, influencer collaborations, etc. Platforms like Meta must invest in tools and techniques to control these practices, experts said.
Some offshore operators have even adopted cash-on-delivery payment models, allowing minors to place bets without parental knowledge or access to digital payment. In such cases, agents physically collect cash from users before crediting it to their gaming wallets.
“This method significantly lowers the barrier to entry, particularly for minors who may not have access to digital payment systems,” the consumer-focused public policy think tank said in the report.
The study also highlighted the rise of ‘surrogate’ websites such as batery.ai that mask their true purpose by mimicking legitimate gaming or tech platforms, misleading users as well as search engines—so that they can exploit SEO (search engine optimisation) techniques to attract users. One such domain, battery-bet.in, alone logged 276.6 million visits last fiscal.
“The use of the ‘.ai’ domain—a popular top-level domain associated with technology and innovation—further obfuscates the platform’s true nature, lending an unwarranted sense of legitimacy,” the report said.
Illegal betting and gambling have long posed a serious challenge in India, luring users, particularly youth, into high stakes wagering through flashy platforms and deceptive advertisements.
According to Digital India Foundation, annual deposits into these illegal betting and gambling networks now exceed $100 billion and are growing 30% per year.
These unauthorised operators are constantly evolving, leveraging sophisticated digital marketing tactics to bypass regulatory restrictions and advertising bans, especially across social media platforms, influencer content, and clone websites.
A recent report by the Advertising Standards Council of India showed that the online betting sector is the biggest violator of the self-regulatory body’s code, accounting for 43% of 7,199 complaints it investigated in FY25. A total of 3,081 ads were linked to illegal betting platforms, including 318 promotions by social media influencers.
These key channels include YouTube—through creator/influencer integrations, embedded links in video descriptions, and promotional livestreams—as well as Instagram and Facebook—via stories, influencers, posts, brand pages, and sports fan pages.
Platforms like X are often used for targeted ads, affiliate links, or meme-based engagement, the report by CUTS said.
Social media giant Meta last week introduced a new advertising policy which allowed only certified gaming companies to advertise on Meta platforms. This certification could be obtained from three industry federations – the E-Gaming Federation (EGF), All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) and Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS).
Anuraag Saxena, chief executive of EGF, said the move will create a reference for advertisers to whitelist legitimate skill-based gaming entities. “This differentiation will be rooted in a rigorous analysis of state-wise legal interpretations, statistical modelling and judicial review,” he explained.
Roland Landers, chief executive of AIGF, said, “Contravention of advertisement guidelines by any intermediary including online skill gaming will be governed by the law of the land as applicable to digital intermediaries.”
However, certification alone cannot solve the magnanimous problem of surrogate advertising through embedded ads, influencer collaborations, etc. Platforms like Meta must invest in tools and techniques to control these practices, experts said.
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