Celebs endorsing gambling apps: A grey area

The glamorous Nusraat Faria may not be making headlines with new films, but she is certainly grabbing attention as the brand ambassador for an online gambling app. Recently, she appeared in a promotional song for the app, where she was seen endorsing gambling. 

The promotional song looked like it was made straight out of a Bollywood movie. Nusraat Faria was seen grooving and dancing to the song which featured lyrics like "We will play together and have lots of fun, and also stay safe…"

At the song's conclusion, she expressed her excitement about collaborating with the company, saying, "I am thrilled to be on this journey with them." The newly released song, which showcases Nusraat Faria as the brand ambassador, has received a considerable number of views on YouTube. The video's description states, "The official music video of brand ambassador Nusraat Faria. A secure platform in Bangladesh…"

Earlier, reports surfaced that Pori Moni had become a brand ambassador for a gambling company. She also appeared as a model in one of the company's advertisements.

According to Bangladeshi law, all types of gambling and betting are illegal, and their promotion is also restricted. In the past, actresses such as Apu Biswas and Mahiya Mahi have been named as brand ambassadors for gambling websites.

Previously, cricketer Shakib Al Hasan faced severe criticism and was penalised for endorsing a gambling advertisement.

Recently, actress Puja Chery announced legal action against a gambling app for using her name and image without her consent. 

Prothom Alo, citing information technology analysts, daycelebrities are featured in advertisements to build credibility among the general public. As a result, ordinary people are enticed by the celebrities' endorsements and fall into the trap of gambling. On this matter, Professor B. M. Moinul Hossain stated, "Gambling companies run illegal businesses worth millions. They allocate a portion of this money for advertisements. The celebrities are not considering the ethical implications either."

According to a Dismislab report referenced in the Daily Star on April 4, titled "Annual Spending on Gambling Ads Targeting Bangladeshis on Facebook is 15 Crore Taka," it is estimated that over 15 crore taka is spent each year on gambling advertisements aimed at Bangladeshis on Facebook and other Meta platforms. 

The ads have captions in Bangla and entice users to spend money in exchange for returns. They also photoshop images of celebrities or logos of prominent Bangladeshi news organisations to feign legitimacy, the report states.

Dismislab also stated the numbers may be higher, as they only searched for ads in Bangla.

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Puja to sue gambling ad for illegally using her name and image

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) and other organisations have voiced concerns over the expansion of online gambling. TIB has also alleged that a large sum of money is being laundered through these online gambling activities.