Betting ads taken down after PM’s intervention

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday took notice of the appearance of betting advertisements on billboards in the federal capital and directed the Islamabad administration to immediately remove them.

According to official sources, the prime minister also instructed the Punjab government to ensure that similar advertisements are taken down across the province.

Following the directives, authorities removed a betting advertisement displayed along the road leading to the New Islamabad International Airport, a well-placed source told The News.

The action from the Prime Minister’s Office came a day after The News published a report titled “Betting billboard’s arrival in Islamabad”, which highlighted how promotional campaigns for surrogate betting companies had appeared in the federal capital despite a government ban and its declared policy of “zero tolerance” against such promotions.

The earlier report detailed how billboards for an online gambling company had been installed in Islamabad, featuring a former national cricketer as brand ambassador. The advertisements had sparked criticism on social media, with many questioning the government’s enforcement of the ban. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had previously issued a notification warning all government departments against promotion of such illegal platforms, claiming to have taken down over 150 related websites. However, the reappearance of these advertisements had raised concerns over lax enforcement until the prime minister’s intervention on Saturday. Officials said further action is expected to ensure strict implementation of the government’s ban on the promotion of betting and gambling platforms across the country.