CHENNAI: A Ravi Shastri advertisement where the cricketer-turned-pundit seemingly endorses a betting company could come under the scanner of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
Over the last 11 months or so, Shastri has used X (formerly Twitter) to promote Stake, a betting company. He did the same on March 21, one day before the start of the Indian Premier League's 18th edition. "Witness the Ultimate Cricket Extravaganza," he posted to his 2m followers. "Early six? Early wicket? What's your stake? @Stake" There was also a video message to his followers.
He also added a disclaimer: "This content is not intended for the Indian region. Visitors must be 18+ of age to proceed." This daily has learned that the disclaimer may not be applicable for the purposes of legality as the commentator may still be liable.
"This specific advertiser appears to be a betting platform," Manisha Kapoor, secretary-general of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), told this daily. "Betting is a violation of law, hence adding any disclaimer does not make it okay to advertise. ASCI is reporting such cases to the MIB."
Under Indian law, games of chance — betting — are banned save a few exemptions as it's a state subject under the Public Gambling Act.
Shastri has periodically posted such ads on his handle, including during the Paris Olympics and the English Premier League (EPL).
"Any operator," sports lawyer Vidushpat Singhania told this masthead, "who claims an international license, cannot offer a betting product without a license from an authority in India. In addition they would also need GST registration in India. A celebrity before endorsing a brand is required to do a diligence check, otherwise a celebrity can be held liable under consumer protection laws."
Indian cricket has been no stranger to betting advertisements in recent years. In 2022, to stop the encroachment of surrogate advertisements, in the form of L-Shaped commercials during live cricket matches, the Union government had issued a strongly-worded advisory. "Betting and gambling," it said, "(is) illegal in most parts of the country, (they) pose significant financial and socio-economical risk for the consumers, especially youth and children."
Shastri didn't respond to queries raised by this daily.