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ED Books 29 Celebrities, Influencers for Promoting Illegal Betting Apps

• ByStartupStory     |    July 11, 2025

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against 29 public figures, including actors, television personalities, and digital influencers, for allegedly promoting illegal online betting platforms in violation of the Public Gambling Act, 1867. The case, registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), stems from five FIRs lodged in Panjagutta, Miyapur, Cyberabad, Suryapet, and Visakhapatnam.

The ED has identified paid promotional activities for platforms such as Junglee Rummy, A23, JeetWin, Parimatch, and Lotus365, which allegedly laundered money under the guise of skill-based gaming apps. The celebrities named in the report are accused of accepting substantial payments to endorse these platforms, misleading the public by promoting gambling apps as legitimate entertainment or skill games.

The list of those named in the ECIR includes film actors like Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Devarakonda, Manchu Lakshmi, Praneetha, and Nidhi Agarwal. It also features TV hosts and media personalities such as Sreemukhi, Siri Hanumanthu, Varshini Sounderajan, Shyamala, and Ananya Nagella, as well as social media influencers and YouTubers like Harsha Sai, Bayya Sunny Yadav, Tastyteja, Local Boy Nani, and others.

According to the ED, some promotions were disguised as charitable or entertainment initiatives, which reportedly misled the public. A major trigger for the investigation was a formal complaint from a victim who claimed to have lost over ₹3 crore after being influenced by video endorsements on YouTube featuring some of these personalities.

The accused are expected to be summoned for questioning in the coming days. Several have already released public statements denying involvement in any illegal activity, asserting that their promotional agreements were terminated upon discovering potential legal and ethical concerns.

The ED is also scrutinizing the management teams of the apps and intermediary marketing agencies, such as those led by Kiran Goud, to uncover the broader money trail and determine the extent of laundering activities.

As the investigation unfolds, the case is poised to spark a wider conversation around the accountability of celebrities and influencers promoting financial or gambling-related products in the digital age.

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