The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a money laundering case against 29 celebrities including prominent South Indian film actors, television personalities, and social media influencers, for allegedly endorsing illegal betting apps in violation of the Public Gambling Act, 1867.
According to TV reports, the agency has filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act ( PMLA) based on five FIRs earlier registered by police in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The case involves the alleged promotion of online betting platforms by celebrities through paid partnerships, advertisements, and social media endorsements.
The list includes well-known names from the South Indian film industry including Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash, Manchu Lakshmi, and Ananya Nagella.
Also named are TV actors and influencers like 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 such as Junglee Rummy, A23, JeetWin, Parimatch, and Lotus365 were promoted through paid campaigns by these individuals, possibly as part of a larger money laundering network. The case has been booked under sections 318(4), 112 read with 49 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 3, 3A, and 4 of the Telangana Gaming Act, and Section 66D of the IT Act (2000/2008).
Many of those named had earlier been booked by the Hyderabad and Cyberabad police under similar allegations. FIRs were filed at Panjagutta, Miyapur, Cyberabad, Suryapet, and Visakhapatnam police stations. In March 2025, a complaint filed by one Phanidra Sharma, a resident of Miyapur, triggered police action against six actors and 19 influencers. The complainant alleged that the endorsement of betting apps was not only illegal but also socially harmful, encouraging risky and addictive behaviour.
Several celebrities have previously denied wrongdoing. Rana Daggubati and Vijay Deverakonda have stated that their endorsements were limited to platforms offering skill-based gaming and were believed to be legal at the time.
Prakash Raj had earlier clarified that he had backed out of an endorsement deal in 2017, stating he “should not have done it” in the first place and chose not to renew the contract.
According to TV reports, the agency has filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act ( PMLA) based on five FIRs earlier registered by police in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The case involves the alleged promotion of online betting platforms by celebrities through paid partnerships, advertisements, and social media endorsements.
The list includes well-known names from the South Indian film industry including Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash, Manchu Lakshmi, and Ananya Nagella.
Also named are TV actors and influencers like 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 such as Junglee Rummy, A23, JeetWin, Parimatch, and Lotus365 were promoted through paid campaigns by these individuals, possibly as part of a larger money laundering network. The case has been booked under sections 318(4), 112 read with 49 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 3, 3A, and 4 of the Telangana Gaming Act, and Section 66D of the IT Act (2000/2008).
Many of those named had earlier been booked by the Hyderabad and Cyberabad police under similar allegations. FIRs were filed at Panjagutta, Miyapur, Cyberabad, Suryapet, and Visakhapatnam police stations. In March 2025, a complaint filed by one Phanidra Sharma, a resident of Miyapur, triggered police action against six actors and 19 influencers. The complainant alleged that the endorsement of betting apps was not only illegal but also socially harmful, encouraging risky and addictive behaviour.
Several celebrities have previously denied wrongdoing. Rana Daggubati and Vijay Deverakonda have stated that their endorsements were limited to platforms offering skill-based gaming and were believed to be legal at the time.
Prakash Raj had earlier clarified that he had backed out of an endorsement deal in 2017, stating he “should not have done it” in the first place and chose not to renew the contract.
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