ED Books Vijay Deverakonda And 28 Other Celebrities For Promotion Of Illegal Betting Apps
The celebrities have been arrested for alleged involvement in promotion of the illegal betting app games.
In a shocking revelation, over 29 celebrities, including famous actor Vijay Deverakonda, have been booked for endorsing betting apps. On July 10, the Enforcement Department revealed that it has filed an ECIR against actors, influencers and YouTubers for allegedly promoting illegal betting apps. Promotion of betting apps violates the Public Gambling Act, 1867, in India.
Why Has The ED Booked Vijay Deverakonda And Other Celebs For Promoting Betting Apps
Film actors Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash and Manchu Lakshmi, and Ananya Nagella are among the 29 celebs who have been booked by the Enforcement Department. The probe that calls for the celebrities to be booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act has been based on five individuals filed in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Other television actors and social media influencers like Sreemukhi, Shyamala, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Harsha Sai and Bayya Sunny Yadav are also mentioned in the list. FIRs against these public figures were registered in multiple police stations, including Panjagutta, Miyapur, Cyberabad, Suryapet, and Visakhapatnam.
Betting platform like Junglee Rummy, A23, JeetWin, Parimatch, Lotus365 and other have been suspected of money laundering, this in turn makes the celebrities who endorsed these apps through paid promotions part of the laundering case as well. The ECIR has been booked under BNS sections 318 (4), 112 r/w 49, Telangana Gaming Act sections 3, 3 (A), 4, IT Act 2000 and 2008 section 66D.
The case against Vijay Devarakonda was first registered in March for allegedly promoting these betting apps. Rana Daggubati and Prakash Raj were accused of doing the same. They, however, later clarified that they were not endorsing any illegal platforms and only promoted legally permitted online games. The complaint that was registered against the celebrities said that the promotion of such illegal gambling apps was causing harm to the users, as they made them addicted to risky money-making behaviour and caused financial harm.
Also Read: Vijay Deverakonda Charged Under The SC/ST Act For Casteist Remarks About Tribal Communities
First Published: July 10, 2025 2:47 PM
