Illegal Betting App Case: From Raina-Dhawan to Mimi-Urvashi..who are on the radar in online betting?
Illegal Betting App Case: The illegal business of online betting grew rapidly in the country, after which the central investigating agency took action. Those promoting it and those associated with it are being continuously questioned. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela and former Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty in connection with the ongoing investigation of betting platform 1xBet. Urvashi has to appear at the ED headquarters in Delhi on September 16 and Mimi on September 15.
Earlier, celebrities like Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina have also been questioned. This action of ED is a step towards curbing the rapidly growing illegal betting business in the country.
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Investigation is also going on against many other celebrities
Officials said in a statement, 'The Enforcement Directorate has summoned actress and former MP Mimi Chakraborty on September 15 and actress Urvashi Rautela on September 16 in the illegal betting app 1xBet case. They have been asked to appear at the Delhi headquarters. ' This is not the first step taken by the agency. Action is being taken continuously this year.
This investigation is part of a comprehensive action on illegal betting platforms and their celebrity promoters. Many high-profile names have been involved in this.
Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina have been questioned
Earlier this month on September 4, former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan was summoned by the agency, where he was questioned for about eight hours in the money laundering case related to illegal betting app. According to sources, the agency recorded his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of this investigation related to the 1xBet betting app. It is believed that Dhawan was associated with this app through some advertisements. Apart from this, former cricketer Suresh Raina was questioned by the ED in this matter in August.
Who are on the radar in online betting?
At the same time, actor Rana Daggubati had to appear before Enforcement Directorate officials at the Hyderabad Zonal ED office on August 11 in connection with the investigation. Daggubati was directed to appear for questioning on August 11 as he had sought more time after the summons sent earlier. The ED had earlier sent him a summons to appear in person on July 23.
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The investigating agency had registered a case against 25 celebrities including Rana Daggubati, Vijay Deverakonda and Prakash Raj for allegedly promoting illegal betting apps. Prakash and Deverakonda have already appeared before the ED.
These South celebrities have been accused
The list of 25 celebrities and influential people includes Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, apart from Manchu Lakshmi, Pranitha, Nidhi Agarwal, Ananya Nagalla, Siri Hanumanthu, Srimukhi, Varshini Sundarajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrita Chaudhary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padmavati, Imran Khan, Vishnu Priya, Harsh Sai, Sunny Yadav, Shyamala, Tasti Teja and Bandaru Seshayani Supretha.
The investigation has involved many celebrities and influencers who are accused of promoting betting platforms. There is also suspicion of tax evasion and defrauding investors. Many prominent names including actors and cricketers have been included in this. More such players and celebrities are expected to be questioned by the agency in the coming days.
Mahadev Online Betting Case
Between the years 2023 and 2024, there has been a lot of controversy over the Mahadev online betting case. Some big leaders and bureaucrats of Chhattisgarh were accused of being involved in this, including former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. He is accused of having mainly benefited in this case. However, Baghel has been denying any connection with this scam and has been calling the allegations 'politically motivated'. According to media reports, the estimated illegal income from the Mahadev betting app case alone is more than Rs 6 thousand crore.
How much is the business of illegal betting apps in India
Experts say that the business of illegal betting apps in the country has grown rapidly and it can be estimated from the fact that it is more than $ 100 billion. This is the reason why the agency is trying to crack down on this business rapidly. In March this year, a report by the Digital India Foundation said that illegal betting and gambling activities in India have increased rapidly in recent years.
Summary
According to the report, 1.6 billion visits were recorded in just three months on four major sites on digital platforms. Organic search traffic crossed the mark with about 184 million visits. This figure of organic search is more than the traffic coming from social media platforms. It is estimated that 11 crore Indians use illegal betting apps daily.
It has been reported that more than 1000 people, including school students, have committed suicide due to financial fraud committed by promoters.
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