The accused allegedly promoted platforms like Junglee Rummy, A23, JeetWin, and Parimatch.
Published Jul 10, 2025 | 10:35 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 10, 2025 | 10:35 AM
Actors and social media influencers booked for promoting illegal betting apps. (X)
Synopsis: ED cracked down on 29 celebrities, including Vijay Deverakonda and Rana Daggubati, for promoting illegal gambling apps like Junglee Rummy and Parimatch. FIRs allege their endorsements influenced youth and caused financial distress.
Accused of violation the Public Gambling Act (1867), the ED cracked down on celebrities including Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, and Prakash Raj among the 29 actors and influencers.
The accused allegedly promoted platforms like Junglee Rummy, A23, JeetWin, and Parimatch.
Actors Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash, Manchu Lakshmi, TV hosts Sreemukhi and Shyamala, YouTubers like Harsha Sai, Bayya Sunny Yadav, and Local Boi Nani are among the others.
This comes after five FIRs, four in Hyderabad and one in Visakhapatnam, which stated that celebrity endorsements influenced their behaviour, encouraging gambling and causing losses.
In March, Telangana police registered an FIR against the actors and influencers invoking Sections 318(4), 112 read with 49 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 3, 3(A), 4 of the Telangana Gaming Act (TSGA), and 66D of the Information Technology Act (ITA) 2000.
The FIR filed claimed that the betting and casino apps and websites are targeting young adults from middle and lower-middle-class households.
The FIR read, “The individuals mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg. Many others are promoting gambling, betting, and casino apps/websites aimed at enticing young adults and the general public with promises of easy money, ultimately leading them to financial ruin.”
“These platforms actively promote their apps/websites through social media ads, leveraging celebrities and influencers to reach their target audience, even without users actively searching for them, which further exacerbates the issue.”
“Thousands of lakhs of rupees are involved in these illegal platforms and it is also leading many families into distress, especially those of middle-class and lower middle-class,” it read.
However, a press release from actor Vijay Deverakonda in March following the FIR claimed that his past association was with a skill-based gaming company, emphasizing that he had entered into a contract solely to serve as a brand ambassador for the platform. His endorsement was limited to regions where online skill-based games, such as rummy, are legally permitted.
