Chepauk Super Gillies' owner moves Madras High Court against TNOGA notice on online gaming ‘endorsement'
A media company that owns Chepauk Super Gillies, a leading participant in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) organised by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), has approached the Madras High Court against a notice issued by the Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority (TNOGA), warning it of penal action over an alleged indirect endorsement of an online gambling website.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh on Friday (June 28, 2025) took note of the submission of senior counsel P.R. Raman, representing Metronation Chennai Television Private Limited, that the TNOGA's notice insisting that Chepauk Super Gillies remove the endorsement had been issued on June 26, 2025, when the TNPL 2025, which began on June 5 and is expected to end on July 6, was at an advanced stage.
The judge directed TNOGA counsel B. Arvind Srevatsa to take notice on behalf of the authority and instruct it to keep all further action in abeyance till July 16. In an affidavit filed in support of its writ petition, Metronation, which also owns Thanthi TV, said the TNOGA had issued issued a show-cause notice on May 16, taking exception to an endorsement on the Chepauk Super Gillies' jersey.
In the notice, the TNOGA stated that the signage MELBAT found on the jersey amounts to indirectly promoting the betting/gambling website MELBET, and that this was in violation of Section 8 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022. The authority had asked Metronation to respond as to why it should not be proceeded against for such a violation.
Metronation denies charge
Metronation responded to the notice on June 21, stoutly denying the charge of having promoted online gambling through its jersey branding. It told the authority that the logo displayed on the jersey was that of 'MELBAT LIVE,' a website engaged in sports news. The company asserted that the logo did not contain any language, imagery, or context that could be construed as promoting betting or gambling.
After considering the reply, the TNOGA sent a second notice to the company on June 26, observing that the explanation was unsustainable since Section 8 of the Act prohibits not only direct but also indirect advertisement of online gambling. Therefore, the authority gave a final opportunity to Metronation to remove the endorsement within 48 hours or face action under Section 16 of the Act.
Since Section 16 provides for the imposition of imprisonment for a term extending up to one year or fine, which could extend up to ₹5 lakh or both, for contravention of Section 8 of the Act, the media company had rushed to the court with a plea to quash the June 26 notice. It contended that the TNOGA had issued the notice without considering the Advertising Standards Council of India guidelines.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
16 minutes ago
- The Print
ED takes note of leading dailies for ‘surrogate ads' of illegal betting platforms ‘preying' on users
This and other such apps are not only being endorsed by celebrities—including former cricketers like Shikhar Dhawan and actors like Sonu Sood—but their ads also appear prominently on the front pages of major Indian publications, for which they have been paid more than Rs 50 crore, ThePrint has learnt. Dhawan's team has denied he is associated with the betting app. Once a person scans and clicks the link, they are redirected to '1xBet', a betting platform. New Delhi: A full front-page advertisement in three prominent newspapers urges readers to scan a QR code to join 1XBAT Sporting Lines, a sports merchandise brand allegedly linked to an offshore betting platform. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating several illegal gaming cases, has now taken note of these 'surrogate advertisements'. Thousands of people are falling prey to this misleading promotion daily through these QR codes, a source said. A source familiar with the matter said this practice—promoting betting platforms under the name of sports merchandise brands 1XBAT and 1XBAT Sporting Lines—violates multiple laws and regulations, including the Information Technology Act, Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and advisories issued by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB). 'There are 22 crore Indian users of various betting apps. 11 crore are regular users. Moreover, by looking at these ads in the papers, many more people are joining these applications and falling prey on a daily basis,' a source said. When the investigators approached the media outlets to ask who were giving these ads, no clear answers were given. 'They said a company based in Switzerland was giving the ads,' the source said. ThePrint reached out to 1XBAT over social media with queries but no response was received. Their website does not mention any email address or details of the company's owners. This report will be updated as and when a response is received. According to ED sources, 1xBet, FairPlay, Parimatch, Lotus365 are heavily promoted by celebrities. For example, 1xBet is promoted by Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Sonu Sood, Suresh Raina, Urvashi Rautela and several social media influencers, despite bans. Also Read: ED makes 9th arrest in probe against betting app Mahadev Online Book 'Rs 27000 crore evaded every year' According to sources in the agency, in just the first three months of 2025, more than 1.6 billion visits happened on illegal betting websites. 'The online betting market in India is now worth over $100 billion, growing 30 percent every year,' a source said. 'As per estimates, top betting apps are evading Rs 27,000 crore in taxes every year.' The officer explained that many apps use the name of 'skill games' to appear legal, which in reality is not the case. The results of these games are not based on skill but purely on luck. 'Fantasy games involve money and rigged algorithms. If money is at stake, it is not a game, it is gambling,' the officer said. 'It is a menace. It is not just an addiction but causes stress, depression and even leads to suicides as it pushes people in debt,' a second officer said. 'In India, thousands including students and housewives have died by suicide due to online betting losses. A PIL says over 1,023 suicides happened in Telangana alone. Poor people suffer the most. They fall into the trap of easy money and lose everything,' the officer explained. The officer added that there have been many instances that came to their notice of school and college children getting involved in these games and losing money just in a bid to 'get rich fast'. According to a second source, dummy accounts were made on the platform by officers probing the cases and details of deposit and withdrawal through mule accounts were identified. The ED has identified several Benami accounts till now and action has been taken. But this is a rampant problem and a challenging one, the source said. 'They use accounts for only a few hours. By the time we identify the VPA handle, call details from NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) and send directions to the Bank; money is already gone,' the source explained. Also Read: As Telangana police crack down on actors promoting betting apps, CM Reddy announces SIT 'Need for regulation' Alerted by the high volume of transactions and the scale of money involved, the Centre is also undertaking a deep look into the multi-billion dollar online gaming industry, red-flagged by investigating agencies for fraud and money laundering. Although several meetings have taken place in this regard, nothing concrete has yet been decided. Sources in the security establishment told ThePrint that various ministries, departments, and agencies were collectively working on a comprehensive report on the extent of growth of the online gaming industry and its national security ramifications to recommend regulations for the industry. The primary aim is to bring the online gaming companies under anti-money laundering laws, subjecting them to stricter compliance and financial scrutiny, to curb unchecked mushrooming of online gaming apps—already under probe—duping users. (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: Dubai police arrests Mahadev betting app co-owner Ravi Uppal, ED 'starts extradition process'
The Hindu
6 hours ago
- The Hindu
Super Gillies finish league stage on a perfect note
The Chepauk Super Gillies juggernaut continued to steamroll opponents and made it a perfect seven in the league stage of TNPL-9, beating Siechem Madurai Panthers by six wickets (DLS method) in its final group encounter at the NPR College Ground here on Saturday. The victory meant CSG became the second team, after Albert Tuti Patriots in 2017, to win all its league matches in the competition. Chasing 157, every Super Gillies top-order batter stroked valuable cameos to keep the asking rate in check. The four-time champion was cruising at 71 for three in 9.2 overs when the players walked off due to insect infestation. Once play resumed, Super Gillies's revised target was 114 in 14 overs. Vijay Shankar and N. Jagadeesan quickly hit a few huge sixes and closed out the game with seven balls to spare. The victory, though, was set up by CSG's bowlers Vijay Shankar (three for 23) and M. Silambarasan (two for 19), whose miserly spells restricted the Madurai outfit to just 156 for seven after the match was delayed by an hour due to rain. Skipper N.S. Chaturved and M.A. Atheeq Ur Rahman gave the Panthers a great platform, taking their side to 60 for two in the PowerPlay. Game-changer A late surge from Ashwin and Gurjapneet took Panthers past 150, but it was not enough, as the 2018 champion crashed out of the tournament following its fifth defeat of the season. The scores: Siechem Madurai Panthers 156/7 in 20 overs (N.S. Chaturved 31, M.A. Atheeq Ur Rahman 41, M. Ashwin 38, Vijay Shankar 3/23, M. Silambarasan 2/19) lost to Chepauk Super Gillies 114/4 in 12.5 overs (M. Ayush 2/20). CSG won by six wickets on DLS method.
The Hindu
15 hours ago
- The Hindu
Chepauk Super Gillies' owner moves Madras High Court against TNOGA notice on online gaming ‘endorsement'
A media company that owns Chepauk Super Gillies, a leading participant in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) organised by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), has approached the Madras High Court against a notice issued by the Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority (TNOGA), warning it of penal action over an alleged indirect endorsement of an online gambling website. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh on Friday (June 28, 2025) took note of the submission of senior counsel P.R. Raman, representing Metronation Chennai Television Private Limited, that the TNOGA's notice insisting that Chepauk Super Gillies remove the endorsement had been issued on June 26, 2025, when the TNPL 2025, which began on June 5 and is expected to end on July 6, was at an advanced stage. The judge directed TNOGA counsel B. Arvind Srevatsa to take notice on behalf of the authority and instruct it to keep all further action in abeyance till July 16. In an affidavit filed in support of its writ petition, Metronation, which also owns Thanthi TV, said the TNOGA had issued issued a show-cause notice on May 16, taking exception to an endorsement on the Chepauk Super Gillies' jersey. In the notice, the TNOGA stated that the signage MELBAT found on the jersey amounts to indirectly promoting the betting/gambling website MELBET, and that this was in violation of Section 8 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022. The authority had asked Metronation to respond as to why it should not be proceeded against for such a violation. Metronation denies charge Metronation responded to the notice on June 21, stoutly denying the charge of having promoted online gambling through its jersey branding. It told the authority that the logo displayed on the jersey was that of 'MELBAT LIVE,' a website engaged in sports news. The company asserted that the logo did not contain any language, imagery, or context that could be construed as promoting betting or gambling. After considering the reply, the TNOGA sent a second notice to the company on June 26, observing that the explanation was unsustainable since Section 8 of the Act prohibits not only direct but also indirect advertisement of online gambling. Therefore, the authority gave a final opportunity to Metronation to remove the endorsement within 48 hours or face action under Section 16 of the Act. Since Section 16 provides for the imposition of imprisonment for a term extending up to one year or fine, which could extend up to ₹5 lakh or both, for contravention of Section 8 of the Act, the media company had rushed to the court with a plea to quash the June 26 notice. It contended that the TNOGA had issued the notice without considering the Advertising Standards Council of India guidelines.
