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A new form of digital advertising that has emerged in Asian countries is increasingly becoming a topic of discussion. This refers to the hidden promotion of gambling, which goes beyond marketing in its traditional sense. Social media platforms, most often Instagram and TikTok, are used for such promotion. This trend is active almost everywhere, but it is particularly pronounced in India, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. In these countries, a significant portion of social media users are young people who are easily drawn into gamified formats of interaction.
Advertising videos on TikTok using this format resemble standard lifestyle blogs at first glance. Young bloggers talk about winning bets and lucky moments. Instagram stories most often feature interface elements, spinning reels, or planes taking off. Moreover, no one talks about gambling—everything is presented simply as entertainment, and it is easy to avoid automatic moderation of such posts by simply not using words like “bet” or “casino.”
In 2025, an analytical report was published indicating that in the 18-24 age group, about 70% of social media users had encountered gambling ads at least once. At the same time, 32% of them said they had downloaded an app — regional blogger networks work particularly well in this case.
The situation in the Philippines is developing along similar lines. After strict controls were introduced on offline casinos, interest in the online format grew significantly. In the local TikTok segment, you can see a large number of videos where “lucky” players play games with visual dynamics and win. Games whose mechanics consist of exiting the process at the right time and “hitting the jackpot” are extremely attractive to players. The fact is that they look simple, although in reality the underlying algorithm works against the player. Interest in blockchain games is growing, and this fact deserves a separate mention.
The crash game format is particularly popular in this area, which assumes that the indicator will rise in the short term and then begin to fall. The player’s task is to exit the game before the fall begins. One such game is Aviatrix game in India, which quickly gained popularity. The simplicity and graphics, as well as intuitive controls, have made such games extremely popular among users. The names of these games are well known even though they are not officially advertised.
In Singapore and Malaysia, journalists are already raising the question of the legal status of such advertising. There have been cases where local regulators have even received complaints. However, despite the fact that gambling advertising on TikTok is officially banned, the platform is not always able to regulate the entire flow of new content. Even if a video is deleted, there is a delay, and a couple of new ones appear in its place.
Digital ethics experts are also expressing their concerns. These mainly relate to the fact that the audience for such videos includes minors, and there are quite a lot of them. They see themselves being invited into a fashionable new world and are hardly able to resist the temptation of such an invitation. At the same time, they are also unable to assess the real risks that always remain behind the scenes.
The mobile gaming market in Southeast Asia is expected to grow in the next two to three years. Young gamblers inspired by social media advertising will account for most of this growth. Of course, local authorities are trying to develop universal regulations, and app developers and influencers are already working on this. The main question remains: how far can this form of promotion go?
