Nepal Cricket Faces Scrutiny Over Surrogate Gambling Ads in NPL Broadcast

Kathmandu — The Advertising Board of Nepal has announced an investigation and potential action against the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) for allegedly promoting surrogate gambling advertisements during the Nepal Premier League (NPL) held last year.

According to the Board’s statement issued Monday, the NPL—organized from Mangsir 15 to Poush 6, 2081—featured advertisements linked to foreign betting sites such as 1xBet, Wolf-777, and Dafa News. These ads reportedly appeared on players’ jerseys, stadium banners, and television broadcasts via Star Sports, facilitated by Twenty First Century Media, a foreign company.

Despite repeated correspondence from the Board, CAN failed to provide satisfactory responses. The Board has warned CAN to refrain from violating the Advertisement Regulation Act, 2076, and its associated rules. If future violations occur, CAN may face a ban on advertising activities.

Penalties for Unauthorized Advertising Agencies

In a related decision, the Board fined two advertising agencies—Brand Digital Logic Pvt. Ltd. (Lalitpur) and TCM Sports & Marketing Pvt. Ltd. (Kathmandu)—NPR 10,000 each for operating without proper registration and displaying illegal advertisements. Both companies have been barred from engaging in any advertising-related activities for three months, until Kartik 20, 2082.

The Board has also requested all advertisers to refrain from conducting business with these agencies during the restriction period.