The Advertising Standards Council of India has reported a sharp rise in misleading advertisements and regulatory violations in its Annual Complaints Report 2025-26, with offshore betting emerging as the most violative sector despite continued regulatory scrutiny.
ASCI reviewed 11,581 cases during FY26, marking a 21% increase over the previous year. These cases involved 9,841 advertisements, up 37% year-on-year, with nearly 98% of the ads requiring modification. The report noted that 93% of the cases were identified through ASCI’s proactive monitoring systems.
Offshore betting accounted for the highest number of violations at 6,933 cases, followed by real estate (643 cases), personal care (576 cases), food and beverages (331 cases), and products violating the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act (274 cases).
Digital platforms continued to dominate the violations landscape, contributing 97.3% of all ads scrutinised. Sponsored content on social media accounted for 82% of these digital violations, while Meta platforms alone represented 79.84% of all digital cases flagged by ASCI.
The report highlighted growing concerns around the rapid spread of misleading and harmful advertising across digital ecosystems. Ads promoting harmful products or situations made up 75.4% of total violations, while misleading claims accounted for 27.5% of cases.
ASCI noted that offshore betting advertisements continue to evolve through high-speed content creation and cross-platform distribution using influencers, affiliate networks, social media groups and messaging platforms. Between April and December 2025, ASCI identified 854 influencer violations linked to offshore betting, including accounts exclusively dedicated to such content.
Influencer marketing emerged as a wider compliance challenge beyond betting. Of the 1,609 influencer advertisements processed during the year, 97.3% required modification, with more than half promoting products or services restricted or prohibited by law.
Illegal betting accounted for 54% of influencer-related violations, followed by personal care (16.9%), electronics and consumer durables (7.9%), food and beverages (6.3%), and fashion and lifestyle (4.3%).
The report also pointed to increasing misuse of exaggerated claims and pseudo-scientific messaging in beauty, personal care and food categories. Common personal care violations included guaranteed skin transformation, instant hair growth and exaggerated timelines such as dandruff removal in “one wash”, often without scientific substantiation.
In food and beverages, ASCI observed misleading claims related to metabolic health, chronic diseases, child development, fertility and organ function. Nutraceuticals emerged as the largest subcategory within food and beverage complaints, accounting for 52% of cases, with 96% requiring modification.
According to ASCI, the rapid growth of nutraceutical products is blurring the line between food and medicine, as products classified as food under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India regulations increasingly make quasi-medical and therapeutic claims in advertising.
Voluntary compliance levels improved during the year, rising from 83% to 86%, while television and print demonstrated near-perfect compliance rates of 97%. ASCI noted that 61% of reviewed advertisements were not contested, with brands withdrawing or modifying the ads immediately after notification.
Sudhanshu Vats said the findings reflect an advertising ecosystem increasingly shaped by speed, competition and digital amplification.
“This year’s complaints data is the reflection of an advertising ecosystem that is being reshaped by intense competition, speed and digital amplification. Across categories, we are seeing a growing tendency toward exaggerated claims, manufactured scientific credibility, influencer-led amplification and the normalisation of non-compliance as a post-publication correction exercise,” he said.
Manisha Kapoor said ASCI’s proactive monitoring systems have enabled the body to scale consumer protection efforts beyond traditional complaint-driven models.
She added that collaborations with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Telangana Real Estate Regulatory Authority have strengthened oversight of misleading advertisements in sectors such as real estate and digital media.
