Gambling Promotion Under the Guise of News, Action Against NPL’s ‘News Partner’ Dafa News

Kathmandu: Dafa News, the official news partner of Nepal’s largest franchise cricket league, the Nepal Premier League (NPL), has come under fire for allegedly promoting online betting. The Advertisement Board has begun preparations to take action, saying the platform is running “surrogate advertisements” for betting sites under the guise of news.

Although the platform uses “news” in its name, its website rarely updates sports content. Even NPL-related news, despite being the league’s news partner, is missing. The Telegram link placed in the website header redirects users to a channel named “Dafa India,” where hundreds of links lead directly to the betting platform Dafa Bet. This makes Dafa News’ role in pushing users toward gambling sites clear.

The logo, branding, and design of Dafa News are also nearly identical to those of Dafa Bet, reinforcing that Dafa News is operating as a surrogate advertisement for the betting company.

On 17 August,  2025, the Advertisement Board had already issued a notice identifying Dafa News as a betting platform alongside OneX Bet and Wolf 777. After the matter resurfaced, the Board has begun the process of taking action. Speaking to TechPana, Board Chairman Laxman Humagain said preparations are underway to seek clarification from Dafa News. “The NPL started yesterday (Monday). We have initiated the process of asking for an explanation for action,” Humagain said.

Online betting and its promotion are completely illegal in Nepal. The Board had directed the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) not to promote platforms including Dafa News. However, CAN has continued to advertise it, arguing that there is no clear legal provision on surrogate advertising.

 

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