Prabhas, Balakrishna face legal trouble over betting app endorsement
Hyderabad: Amid the ongoing crackdown on online betting apps, a complaint has been filed against Tollywood actors Nandamuri Balakrishna and Prabhas on Saturday.
A vigilant citizen, Rama Rao Immaneni, has lodged a complaint at the Marredpally Police Station claiming that the actors have allegedly endorsed the Chinese betting app Fun88 during the final episode of Unstoppable Season 2, hosted by Balakrishna on the Aha OTT platform.
The complainant accused the actors of misleading thousands of people by promoting the online betting platform on the show and requested the police to file a case against the duo for failing to uphold social responsibility norms.
Recently, Miyapur police registered a case against 25 individuals, including well-known actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Devarakonda, Manchu Lakshmi, and Nidhi Agarwal, for allegedly promoting online betting apps.
Based on a complaint from Phanindra Sarma, a resident of Miyapur, the police registered an FIR against the celebrities. In his complaint, Sarma said that while discussing the issue of online betting with his community, he discovered that many people in his locality had invested money into illegal betting, gambling, and casino apps promoted by celebrities and influencers on social media. Phanindra Sarma claimed that he too was tempted to invest in such apps but refrained after his family cautioned him against investing in these betting apps.
The FIR listed the celebrities involved, including Rana Daggubati and Prakash Raj, who were reportedly promoting Jungleerummy.com, Vijay Devarakonda endorsing A23, Manchu Lakshmi promoting Yolo247.com, and Nidhi Agarwal linked with JeetWin. Other celebrities named in the FIR include Praneetha, who promoted Fairplay.live, Ananya Nagella with Vlbook.co, Siri Hanumanthu endorsing Taj77, Sreemukhi linked to Vvbbok.co, and Varshini Sounderajan promoting Dhanibook365.
Subsequently, Vijay Deverakonda’s PR team issued a clarification and stated that the actor’s endorsement was strictly limited to regions where online skill-based games are legally permitted.
The statement stated that the actor had ‘entered into a contract with a company solely for the limited purpose of serving as a brand ambassador for skill-based games.’ It also stated that his ‘endorsement was strictly confined to regions and territories where online skill-based games are legally permitted.
Meanwhile, the TGCSB has successfully blocked access to a total of 108 illegal betting websites and also implemented geofencing technology to prevent users in Telangana from accessing these platforms. The authorities have also served notices to 133 India-based platforms to restrict access in Telangana.
A complaint has been filed against actors Nandamuri Balakrishna and Prabhas at Maredpally Police Station for allegedly endorsing the Chinese betting app Fun88. The complaint was filed by Rama Rao Immaneni, who claimed that the actors endorsed the app during the final episode of… pic.twitter.com/3oId2javD5
— Hyderabad Mail (@Hyderabad_Mail) March 23, 2025
