HYDERABAD: Miyapur police have registered a criminal case against 25 individuals for promoting online betting based on a complaint filed by businessman P M Phanindra Sarma.
The complainant alleged that he came across several celebrities and influencers actively promoting illegal betting platforms on social media, especially on Facebook and Instagram.
The case has been booked against six prominent actors -- Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, Praneetha, Lakshmi Manchu, and Nidhi Agarwal -- and 19 social media influencers: Ananya Nagella, Siri Hanumanthu, Sreemukhi, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Imran Khan, Vishnu Priya, Harsha Sai, Bayya Sunny Yadav, Shyamala, Tasty Teja, Rithu Chowdhary and Bandaru Sheshayani Supritha.
He also noted that these individuals accept large sums of money as commissions to promote the betting platforms.
He further added that these platforms encourage persons seeking quick monetary gains to invest large amounts in these apps and eventually get them addicted to gambling, leading to financial ruin.
Though the platforms are not easily available on app stores, the platforms are promoted to the target audience through effective social media advertisement.
The pervasive nature of online advertisement ensures that the users find the platforms without having to search for it, further exacerbating the problem.
Thousands of lakhs of rupees are involved in these illegal platforms.
The case has been booked under Sections 3, 3(A), and 4 of the Telangana Gaming Act, Section 318(4) and 112 read with Section 49 of the BNS, and Section 66-D of the IT Act.
