Vijay Devarakonda denies links to betting Apps in ED probe
Hyderabad: Tollywood actor Vijay Devarakonda appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the ongoing probe into illegal betting apps. After the anti-money laundering agency questioned him, Vijay Devarakonda spoke to the media, denied the allegation of endorsing illegal betting apps, and stated that he submitted the required documents to the agency officials for further investigation.
Speaking to the media, Vijay Devarakonda said, “It's not an illegal betting app, but a gaming app. The ED officials called me to ask why my name came up in the betting apps case. I did endorsements for gaming apps which are legal, which is very different from the betting apps. Gaming apps are legal and acknowledged by the government. They are licensed businesses that pay GST and TDS. Various state and central government institutions also recognise them."
“Some gaming apps, like A23, and others, have sponsored the Indian cricket teams, both men and women. They also support the Olympics team and leagues like IPL and Kabaddi. I have submitted all the account and transaction details," added Devarakonda.
The case first came to light in March 2025, when Miyapur police registered an FIR following a petition by Phanindra Sarma, a resident of the area. The complainant claimed that many celebrities used Instagram and Facebook to promote betting apps. This misled people into putting money into gambling schemes.
One complainant, Puli Kumar Reddy, reported losses of over 3 crore due to betting apps promoted through YouTube content. Phanindra Sarma, Vinay Vangala, and others said that celebrity endorsements drew local people to gambling apps. Some FIRs claim that betting ads were shown as charitable activities or entertainment. This made it tough to spot them as gambling promotions.
The Cyberabad police FIR named several celebrities and influencers for allegedly promoting certain betting platforms. Actors Rana Daggubati and Prakash Raj were associated with Jungleerummy.com, while Vijay Deverakonda was linked to A23. Manchu Lakshmi was named in connection with Yolo247.com, and Nidhi Agarwal was linked to JeetWin.
Actress Pranitha Subhash was associated with Fairplay.live, and Ananya Nagella was linked to VIbook.co. Siri Hanumanthu reportedly promoted Taj77, while television anchor Sreemukhi was connected to Vvbbok.co. Varshini Sounderajan was linked with Dhanibook365, and Vasanthi Krishnan with Mama247.co.
The full list of those named in the ECIR includes actors and influencers across film, television, and social media. The list also includes Ananya Nagella, Siri Hanumanthu, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Imran Khan, Vishnu Priya, Tasty Teja, Rithu Chowdhary, Bandaru Sheshayani Supritha, and others. Influencers named include Kiran Goud and social media personalities Ajay, Sunny, and Sudheer.
