India's Online Gaming Ban & Telegram Betting Traffic in 2026: What Actually Changed
India is a gambling market we launch, and the largest one in Adsly Pro Panel on a broad base: South Asia ran 7.34 million gambling impressions from seven advertisers, India alone 5.29 million at 0.406 TON per thousand and a 1.99% CTR, with 0.6% of India-targeted gambling campaigns declined (TON accounts, 25 October 2026). Both formats target India from the World account: a full launch from €5,000 + 30% commission or an official gambling account from €25,000 + 25% commission, open in 48 hours — write to @adsly_pro. Meta lists India as an unsupported gambling market and Google does not certify it. What changed: the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 prohibits online money games and their advertising; its Rules took effect on 1 May 2026.
If your media plan lists India as a cricket-betting geo, our data agrees: South Asia is one of the two largest gambling regions in Adsly Pro Panel, with Europe, and India alone ran 5.29 million gambling impressions on TON accounts. Meta and Google do not run gambling ads there, so Telegram is the open channel, and both of our gambling formats target India from the World account. This page covers both halves: what the 2025 Act says and how it is enforced, and what India-targeted gambling campaigns actually run at on Telegram. Status as of 25 October 2026.
What did India’s Online Gaming Act 2025 actually ban?
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 was passed by Parliament in August 2025 and received the President’s assent on 22 August 2025. In the words of the government’s Press Information Bureau, it “comprehensively prohibits all forms of online money games, whether involving games of chance, games of skill, or any combination thereof”, and it also prohibits “the advertising, promotion, and facilitation of such games, as well as the processing of related financial transactions through banks or payment systems”.
PRS Legislative Research sets out the definition. An online money game is an online game in which a user pays money or other stakes in the expectation of monetary or other enrichment, irrespective of whether the game is based on skill, chance or both. Stakes include credits, coins and tokens that are equivalent or convertible to money. A skill-game label therefore no longer takes a real-money product outside the ban: anything played for stakes fits the definition, whether it is called fantasy sports, rummy, poker or sports betting.
The penalties, as the Press Information Bureau states them:
| Offence | First conviction | Repeat conviction |
|---|---|---|
| Offering online money games, or facilitating payments for them | Up to 3 years in prison, a fine of up to ₹1 crore, or both | 3 to 5 years in prison and a fine of ₹1 crore to ₹2 crore |
| Advertising online money games | Up to 2 years in prison, a fine of up to ₹50 lakh, or both | 2 to 3 years in prison and a fine of ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore |
How is the ban being enforced in 2026?
Through four channels, each written into the Act or its Rules:
- Blocking. The Act empowers the authorities to block unlawful platforms under the Information Technology Act, 2000. On 16 January 2026 the government blocked 242 illegal betting and gambling website links; more than 7,800 had been taken down by then, “with a significant increase in enforcement actions after the passage of the Online Gaming Act”, according to News On AIR, the public broadcaster’s news service.
- A regulator. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026 came into force on 1 May 2026. They constitute the Online Gaming Authority of India as an attached office of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The Authority maintains and publishes the list of online money games, determines whether a given game is one, and coordinates with financial institutions and law-enforcement agencies.
- Payments. Banks and payment systems are barred from processing transactions linked to online money games.
- Advertising. Advertising an online money game is an offence in its own right, separate from operating one.
That last point is the one that matters for media buyers: the person who places the ad is inside the law’s reach, not only the operator behind the product.
What’s still legal in India?
The Act bans money games, not online gaming as a category. PRS Legislative Research describes the two categories it promotes:
- E-sports — organised, competitive multiplayer games recognised under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, with the outcome decided by skill. They may involve registration fees and prize money, but no bets or stakes.
- Online social games — games offered solely for recreation, entertainment or skill development. They may charge a subscription or a one-time access fee, but involve no stakes and no monetary winnings in return for stakes.
Under the 2026 Rules, registration with the Authority is required for every game offered as an e-sport and for whichever categories of social games the central government notifies.
That is the distinction the Act draws between e-sports and social games on one side and online money games on the other.
Can I run gambling ads to India on Telegram?
Yes, through Adsly, the official Telegram Ads partner. A self-serve account will not carry them: §5.6 of the ad guidelines reads: “Ads must not promote online or offline gambling, gaming, or casino-based activities involving real money, prizes, or goods of any value.” Its examples name sports betting, lotteries, bingo and fantasy sports, as well as tips, odds and forecasts (wording checked on 3 October 2026). That is why gambling for India runs in our two formats:
- Full launch on our infrastructure — from €5,000 + 30% commission. We run the whole project for you: a dedicated manager writes the ads for moderation, takes the campaigns to Active, runs all the traffic, sets up tracking end to end, gives you the analytics and optimises every day; one tap puts the player in your bot, Mini App or site.
- Official gambling account — from €25,000 + 25% commission. Opened even without a gambling licence; your own creatives, with brand and bonus, pass Telegram moderation and run as written.
Both open in 48 hours, with no KYC and payment in any cryptocurrency, and you get the account on ads.telegram.org plus Adsly Pro Panel. India sits in the World account next to every other country except Russia and Ukraine, chosen per campaign.
What the data says about running it:
| India-targeted gambling, TON accounts, lifetime to 25 October 2026 | Value |
|---|---|
| Campaigns with spend | 751, from 6 advertisers (the largest holds 35%) |
| Impressions | 5.29 million |
| CPM | 0.406 TON per thousand |
| CTR | 1.99% |
| Cost per click | 0.0204 TON |
| Users delivered into the product (bot starts, joins, Mini App launches) | 10,619 at 0.2023 TON each |
| Declined, all India-targeted gambling campaigns | 0.6% (5 of 881, from 9 advertisers) |
| South Asia as a whole (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan) | 7.34 million impressions from 7 advertisers, 0.378 TON CPM, 2.01% CTR, 23,124 users delivered at 0.1201 TON |
Campaigns are classified as gambling by ad text and link (about 97% precision on a 40-campaign check); TON prices stay in TON and are not converted. A user delivered into the product is a bot start, a channel join or a Mini App launch — not a registration and not a deposit; deposits are measured in your tracker through postbacks.
Which markets run alongside India?
The rest of South Asia first: Bangladesh and Pakistan sit in the same region figure, and the same cricket calendar drives them. Brazil runs on both of our launch formats too: on our Euro accounts a Brazilian click cost €0.136, less than half the €0.333 average of every other country (14 October 2026, all niches) — the details are in the Brazil guide, and the Brazil gambling account opens in 48 hours. All of them sit in one World account, chosen per campaign, so a Brasileirão campaign for Brazil and a cricket campaign for India run from the same balance.
What does India cost on Telegram for every niche?
The gambling figures are in the table above. For e-sports, social games and every other niche, these are the prices we measure — single-country campaigns, all niches together:
| Account type | CPM | CTR | Cost per click | Impressions | Accounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Euro (billed in EUR, 3 Oct 2026) | €0.25 | 1.12% | €0.022 | 17.3M | 8 |
| TON (prices in TON, 22 Aug–3 Oct 2026) | 0.42 TON | 1.77% | 0.024 TON | 12.0M | 14 |
TON prices stay in TON and are not converted to euros. India-targeted gambling campaigns alone ran at 0.406 TON per thousand impressions and 0.0204 TON a click (25 October 2026). The market as a whole is covered in the Telegram Ads in India guide, and other countries in measured CPM by country.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is online betting legal in India in 2026?
No. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 prohibits all forms of online money games, whether they involve chance, skill or a combination of the two. Status as of 3 October 2026.
Can I advertise a betting app to Indian users on Telegram?
Yes, through Adsly: a full launch on our infrastructure from €5,000 + 30% commission or an official gambling account from €25,000 + 25% commission, both opened in 48 hours. A self-serve account will not carry the ads, because Telegram’s guidelines prohibit gambling ads in §5.6. India is the largest gambling market in Pro Panel on a broad base, with 5.29 million India-targeted gambling impressions (25 October 2026).
What online gaming is still legal in India?
E-sports and online social games with no stakes. E-sports may involve registration fees and prize money; social games may charge a subscription or an access fee. Neither may involve bets, stakes or winnings in return for stakes.
Did the ban affect fantasy sports and rummy too?
The Act covers online money games “whether involving games of chance, games of skill, or any combination thereof”. A game played for stakes is covered whatever its label.
Does Telegram’s ad moderation check Indian law?
No. Moderation reviews the ad text and the destination against Telegram’s own guidelines, which prohibit gambling promotion in §5.6. That is why gambling runs through our formats: in the full launch our team writes moderation-ready copy, and on the official account Telegram approves the project itself. 0.6% of India-targeted gambling campaigns in Pro Panel carry a Declined status.
What does India cost on Telegram Ads?
India-targeted gambling campaigns ran at 0.406 TON per thousand impressions, a 1.99% CTR and 0.0204 TON per click on 5.29 million impressions (TON accounts, 25 October 2026). For all niches together: on our Euro accounts, single-country India campaigns in all niches measured €0.25 CPM, 1.12% CTR and €0.022 per click (17.3M impressions, 8 accounts, 3 October 2026). On TON accounts: 0.42 TON per thousand impressions, 1.77% CTR and 0.024 TON per click (12.0M impressions, 14 accounts, 22 August–3 October 2026).
We open gambling accounts in two formats: an official gambling account, ad budget from €25,000 + 25% commission, where your own creatives pass Telegram moderation and run as written, and a full launch on our infrastructure, ad budget from €5,000 + 30% commission. Both target India from the World account, and the rules behind both are in the gambling policy guide.
Launching a sportsbook, a casino, an e-sports title or a social game for India? Write to @adsly_pro — the account opens in 48 hours from payment.
