Betting ads target Bangladeshi gamers despite ban, study finds

Gambling advertisements have made their way into mobile gaming apps in Bangladesh, sidestepping regulatory restrictions and Google’s advertising policies, according to research conducted by Dismislab. Despite being unapproved in Bangladesh, real-money gambling ads are flooding popular gaming platforms used by millions of Bangladeshi players, exposing them to gambling promotions through Google’s network.
The Dismislab study monitored six of the country’s most downloaded mobile games—Ludo King, Carrom Pool, Football League 2024, Pizza Ready, 8 Ball Pool, and Cricket League—over a 30-hour period. The findings revealed that nearly one in every eleven ads in these games was related to betting, with Football League 2024 and 8 Ball Pool showing the highest concentrations of gambling content. Ads were often masked as harmless gaming or entertainment promotions, but redirected users to betting sites upon interaction.
The games attract a large, diverse audience, including minors who play regularly, making them especially susceptible to these ads. According to Dismislab, this has created an environment ripe for gambling companies to promote betting behaviours among players, subtly embedding ads in spaces where users are highly engaged and often willing to watch ads for in-game rewards. Many players are exposed to these promotions repeatedly during extended gameplay, with some sessions featuring up to 15 gambling ads in a single hour, the study finds.
Unregulated gambling promotions on Google’s network
The research documented that 42% of these ads carried Google’s “Ads by Google” label, despite Bangladesh’s prohibition on such gambling promotions. Google’s advertising policies restrict gambling ads to certified advertisers in select countries, a list that excludes Bangladesh. Despite this, platforms like 1XBet, Babu88, and Batery have consistently promoted their services to Bangladeshi users by using surrogate advertising tactics, often disguising gambling promotions as unrelated games or apps. Ads for Super Avia Fly and Bonanza Love, for instance, initially appear as arcade or adventure games but redirect to betting sites upon download.
Alongside Google, Dismislab identified other ad networks such as Chartboost, Mintegral, and Unity Ads running gambling ads, even though these networks stipulate compliance with local regulations. 
Legal loopholes and ineffective enforcement
While Bangladesh’s legal framework includes a ban on gambling, outdated legislation does not comprehensively cover online betting. The primary statute, the Gambling Act of 1867, restricts physical gambling establishments but lacks provisions for digital gambling. Although the High Court issued a ruling against online gambling ads in December 2022, the directive has seen limited enforcement.
Efforts by Bangladesh’s Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and financial service providers to curb betting site access and halt payments have also shown limited success. Former Minister of State for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology disclosed in June 2024 that roughly 5 million Bangladeshis are active on various gambling sites. However, despite attempts to block 2,600 betting platforms, an additional 3,000 sites remain active, hosted on government domains, as highlighted by Dismislab’s findings.