Betting ads slip through Google’s net, target Bangladeshi gamers
When discussing the reach and impact of gambling ads, attention often centers on traditional websites and social media platforms, yet one massive avenue is frequently overlooked: gaming platforms. In Bangladesh, the user base for mobile gaming is substantial, with millions of active players, many of whom are young and highly engaged. Gaming apps provide an immersive environment where users spend hours daily, making them especially vulnerable to persuasive advertising.
Real-money gambling sites are increasingly exploiting this captive audience. Over a 30-hour period across six widely-used gaming platforms, this author recorded 77 advertisements promoting online betting and casino sites, most promising quick earnings and served through Google’s digital advertising network. The findings reveal that nearly one in every 11 ads on these gaming apps encourages users to engage in betting or gambling activities, highlighting the pervasive presence of such content in digital gaming spaces.
The games played for this study are Ludo King, Carrom Pool, Football League 2024, Pizza Ready, 8 Ball Pool, and Cricket League. Each is among the top downloaded games in Bangladesh. Highest number of advertisements were found on Football League 2024, followed by 8 Ball Pool.
The ads documented were from various gambling and betting platforms including 1XBet, Babu88, Batery, which were already known for running surrogate ads on social media platforms and local Television channels. To bypass the policy restrictions, most of these advertisers disguised them as entertainment games, with links that ultimately redirect users to real-money gambling sites or apps.
Google allows real money gambling promotion in certain countries for advertisers who are certified by the platform. Bangladesh is not on the approved list of countries for gambling ads, and yet the gambling sites managed to bypass the platform’s systems to run such ads targeting Bangladesh and also violating a court order banning online ads promoting online betting and gambling.
Why does it matter
The mobile gaming industry has become a formidable economic force. In Bangladesh alone, it is projected to generate $548.70 million in 2024, with in-game advertising revenues expected to reach $20.67 million and grow at a rate of 10.82% through 2027, according to Statista. Currently, there are 33.6 million mobile game users in the country, a number anticipated to rise to 41 million by 2027, representing a vast and growing audience.
This rapid growth in in-game advertising is reshaping user experiences. Many gamers opt to watch ads to earn rewards or access exclusive features, while some games enforce unskippable pop-up ads. Online betting platforms are seizing this opportunity, embedding their ads in gaming spaces where users are most engaged. This environment—where users are primed to interact with ads for gaming benefits—has become a new frontier for gambling companies, subtly promoting betting behaviors among millions of players.
Pattern and frequency of gambling ads
The study zoomed in on six popular games in Bangladesh, picked randomly from three categories—Sports, Board, and Simulation. Over a month, from 14 May to 12 June, the author played each game regularly for one hour at a time, carefully tracking the frequency of ads and noting the share related to betting. On average, players encountered 29 ads per hour, with around three of these pushing online gambling. Only twice during the study did an hour go by without a gambling ad. At peak, a single hour of gameplay featured as many as 15 gambling ads, with at least five ads for betting apps appearing in four separate play sessions. The spread of ads saw a standard deviation of three, signaling a fairly constant exposure rate.
The chart reveals a select few gambling platforms within the observed advertisements. Batery leads the pack, capturing a significant 20.8% of all ads, making it the most frequently promoted platform. Close behind is Banger Casino, with 18.2% of ads, indicating a similarly strong push to capture users’ attention. Pana365 and Bilbet also command a substantial presence, each accounting for 15.6% of ads.
1XBet, with 14.3% of ads, rounds out the group of top-promoted platforms. Together, these top five—Batery, Banger Casino, Pana365, Bilbet, and 1XBet—dominate the advertising space, reflecting a strategic focus on capturing users through repetitive exposure. Some of these platforms are recognized for their surrogate advertising on local TV channels and social media platforms.
Some betting platforms hid their true nature until users clicked through. For instance, ads promoting apps like Super Avia Fly and Bonanza Love appear as harmless arcade or adventure games on the Google Play Store. Yet, after downloading and opening them, players were redirected to betting sites like Banger Casino or Billbet. These apps are often taken down from the Play Store, but the deceptive process can still be observed in shared video demonstrations (1, 2).
According to the data, Pizza Ready displayed the most ads per hour, averaging 51.2 ads, though it had a low percentage of gambling ads (5.9%). In contrast, 8 Ball Pool had fewer ads per hour (14.4) but a high share of gambling ads (12.5%). The Football League had the highest concentration of gambling ads (14.4%) among all games observed while Cricket League had a low ad frequency of just 1.2 ads per hour, with 6.2% of these ads related to gambling. Carrom Pool showed a higher percentage of gambling ads at 9.2%, while Ludo King had the lowest percentage of gambling content among the games, at just 4.8%.
Play Store Turning Blindsight
In this study, 42% of all betting ads displayed the label “Ads by Google,” indicating that Google was actively promoting gambling sites during gameplay. According to Google’s advertising policy, gambling ads should only target approved countries, include responsible gambling information, and avoid targeting minors. Since Bangladesh is not on the list of approved countries, such ads should be blocked or disapproved by default. However, despite these guidelines, gambling ads were shown to Bangladeshi users during gameplay.
In addition to Google, three other platforms—Chartboost, Mintegral, and Unity Ads—also displayed gambling ads. Chartboost requires compliance with local laws where ads are shown, while Mintegral and Unity Ads only allow gambling ads if they align with local regulations.
Under the guidelines of these platforms, such ads violate local restrictions and should lead to disapproval and account suspension. Yet, the volume of unrestricted gambling ads on gaming platforms highlights a significant gap between policy and enforcement, allowing gambling content to reach users in Bangladesh.
Authorities Need to take notes
Article 18(2) of Bangladesh’s Constitution mandates that the government take effective measures to prevent all forms of gambling. Despite this, Bangladesh’s legal framework for betting is outdated and limited, relying primarily on the Gambling Act of 1867, which defines “game” narrowly as horse racing. This Act prohibits the operation of a “common gaming house” or any physical establishment used for gambling, but its scope does not extend to online gambling. Similarly, the metropolitan police statutes criminalize gambling only in public places within metropolitan areas, while the Penal Code of 1860 prohibits maintaining premises for unauthorized lotteries. None of these laws address online betting, leaving a gap in legal protections against the digital gambling landscape.
The High Court took a significant step to address this gap in December 2022, following a public interest writ petition. Advocate Kamal Hossain Meahzi, representing the petitioner, recalls their motivation: “We noticed gambling-related ads on television, even during game broadcasts. We filed the writ petition in the public interest.” At the end of the initial hearing, the High Court issued a rule declaring such advertising illegal and asked why further steps should not be taken to halt the promotion of betting materials on online platforms.
However, the ruling fell short of producing concrete change. With gambling ads still appearing, the petitioners approached the court again, requesting specific instructions. “We asked the court to direct the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to use its mechanisms to block these sites and prevent the ads from airing,” Mr. Meahzi explains. “We also sought instructions for Bangladesh Bank to direct financial service providers like bKash, Nagad, and mCash to stop processing payments to these betting sites. Yet, the ads persist.”
This legal effort has led to a court directive specifically addressing online betting, but enforcement remains inconsistent. Although Bangladesh is not on the list of countries where gambling ads are permitted on Google Ads, these ads continue to appear on digital gaming platforms. Mr. Meahzi believes Google could be held accountable for enabling this advertising within Bangladesh’s jurisdiction. “Google can be held accountable,” he asserts, “but there’s still much that needs to be done locally. A year has passed since the court ruling, yet these ads and surrogate promotions continue unabated.” Now, Mr. Meahzi fears that this inertia could undermine future efforts to control online betting in Bangladesh.
On June 24, 2024, Former Minister of State for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology of Bangladesh disclosed to the media that approximately 5 million individuals in Bangladesh are engaged in gambling on various betting platforms. He noted that measures had been initiated against 2,600 betting sites. However, a subsequent investigation by Dismislab revealed the existence of over 3,000 betting websites that were exclusively hosted on government domains.
