Betting billboard’s arrival in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The advertisement campaign for surrogate betting companies has now reached the federal capital after Karachi and Lahore, despite the government’s declared “zero tolerance” policy against the promotion of such illegal platforms.

A well informed source in the federal capital has revealed that the matter of billboard advertisements of surrogate betting companies has been informed to the Prime Minister Office.

A billboard of an online gambling company have appeared in Islamabad, raising serious questions over the enforcement of the government’s ban on such promotions. The development comes after a former national cricket star, serving as brand ambassador for the company, openly endorsed the betting application in previous campaigns in Karachi and Lahore.

Instead of taking notice of the matter, authorities appear to have turned a blind eye, as the company’s advertisements along with the former cricketer, continue to expand their visibility nationwide.

Journalist Arfa Feroz Zake shared a video on social media showing one of the company’s billboards in Islamabad, writing: “Despite the government of Pakistan’s ban, billboards for an online gambling company have been put up right in the middle of Islamabad! It’s unfortunate — what message is the former cricketer sending to the younger generation by promoting an online betting company?”

The former cricketer has reportedly been associated with the surrogate betting company for over two years. The platform, operating illegally in Pakistan, continues to run promotional campaigns without apparent interference from the authorities.

This lax approach stands in contrast to previous actions by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which had taken strict action against social media influencers found promoting similar platforms online.

When questioned by The News regarding the lack of action against the former cricketer, an NCCIA official said the agency was only responsible for monitoring social media and not outdoor advertising such as billboards. When shown evidence of the cricketer’s active promotion of the betting platform on social media, the official declined to comment further.

Earlier, the Ministry of Information had issued a notification declaring “zero tolerance” for surrogate betting companies, warning all government departments against their promotion and boasting the takedown of over 150 such websites. However, the apparent reemergence of these ads—both online and now on billboards—raises concerns about the effectiveness and consistency of the government’s enforcement.