Google, Meta Face ED Summons In Betting App Probe

Google-Meta Betting App Case: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) further alleged that both tech giants provided prime advertising slots and allowed websites linked to these online betting platforms to gain visibility on their platforms.

File Photo

Google And Meta Case: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued notices to tech giants Google and Meta as part of its ongoing investigation into online betting app cases. Both companies have been summoned for questioning later this month on July 21. This development marks a major escalation in the probe, which has already brought several celebrities and influencers under scrutiny for endorsing suspected illegal gambling platforms.  

The central agency has accused Sundar Pichai-led Google and Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta of actively enabling the promotion of betting apps currently under investigation for serious financial offences, including money laundering and hawala transactions. Officials further alleged that both tech giants provided prime advertising slots and allowed websites linked to these online betting platforms to gain visibility on their platforms, thereby amplifying the reach and impact of these illegal operations. 

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is closely investigating a vast network of online betting apps. Many of these apps promote illicit gambling while falsely presenting themselves as 'skill-based games'. These platforms are believed to have generated illicit funds worth crores of rupees, often routed through hawala channels to evade detection.

Last week, the ED booked 29 celebrities from the Telugu states for endorsing betting apps. The central agency filed an ECIR against 29 actors, influencers, and YouTubers for allegedly promoting illegal betting platforms in violation of the Public Gambling Act, 1867.

The investigation, conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is based on five FIRs filed in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Film actors Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Nidhhi Agerwal, Pranitha Subhash, Manchu Lakshmi, and Ananya Nagalla are among those named by the ED.

The list also includes television actors, hosts, and social media influencers such as Sreemukhi, Shyamala, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Harsha Sai, and Bayya Sunny Yadav. The ED suspects that platforms like Junglee Rummy, A23, JeetWin, Parimatch, Lotus365, and others used celebrity endorsements to launder large sums of money through paid promotions.

In March, Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, and others were also booked by Cyberabad police for allegedly promoting betting apps. However, they have since clarified that they were not endorsing any illegal platforms. (With IANS Inputs)