From Glamour to Gambling: Film Stars & Influencers Named in ED Probe

Entertainment News:The Enforcement Directorate has taken a major step towards the promotion of illegal betting apps by 29 famous personalities. The list includes many film actors, YouTubers, and Instagram influencers of Telangana. All of them have promoted the illegal betting apps, as claimed by the ED. The actors involved are some famous ones like Rana Daggubatti, Vijay Deverkonda, Nidhi Aggarwal, and Prakash Raj. These celebrities, among many others, have been accused of participating in the betting app fraud. The ED has filed a case based on the Hyderabad Cyberabad Police's FIR. The film performers' involvement is being investigated.

Complaint filed by a businessman from Miyapur

The case began with a complaint filed by Phanindra Sharma, a businessman from Miyapur. He claimed that many famous actors and social media personalities are enticing users to these betting apps. He said that such apps cause significant hardship for middle and lower-middle-class households. Following this report, Cyberabad Police filed an FIR against 25 celebrities on March 19, 2025.

Ongoing Investigation

ED has filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under PMLA in this matter. ED is now asking all of these celebrities and influencers about how much money they spent on promotion, how they received payment, and what the tax implications are. Investigations have found that thousands of crores of rupees have been exchanged through these apps. These apps tempt teenagers to make money quickly. However, many eventually suffer financial and mental breakdowns. The investigation into the case is ongoing.

First deceive, then exploit

In the FIR, the complainants claimed that they were tricked and were falsely promised a scheme to earn money by answering "yes or no" questions, while in reality the scheme promotes gambling by tempting players to invest more in the hope of getting bigger returns. The ED investigation discovered that the apps/websites initially fool its users by creating a false picture of a legitimate talent-based platform, and then exploit them through betting, where success is purely determined by chance and has nothing to do with the user's skill.

Result of the investigation

The ED search also discovered that the app/website has no mechanism to prevent minors from registering as users, does not perform due diligence (KYC), attracts new users through misleading marketing, and promotes opinion trading based on election results. The probe also revealed that the company earned Rs 134.84 crore in exchange for granting preferred shares to Mauritius, the Cayman Islands, and other overseas organizations. During the search, investments in FDs and shares worth Rs 284.5 crore were seized, as well as three bank lockers. Further inquiry is underway.