Online Gaming Act: Vijay Deverakonda, Ranbir Kapoor, MS Dhoni Many celebrities who have been under fire for promoting gambling platforms
In a landmark action that regulates India’s $3.8 billion online gaming industry, Rajya Sabha today passed promotions and regulation for the 2025 Online Gaming Act, which was originally approved by Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The bill aims to ban the operation, promotion and advertising of online games to curb the rise of addiction, money laundering and economic fraud.
The legislation, introduced by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, bans all currency-based online games, including betting apps and fantasy movements, while imposing severe penalties on violators – was sentenced to three years in jail and fined Rs 1 crore.
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It also imposes strict penalties on celebrities and influencers who recognize such platforms, up to two years in prison, a fine of Rs 5 million for the first time, rising to three years, up to three years, and fined Rs 1 crore.
However, even before the new bill came into effect, Toleiwood and Bollywood actors, cricketers and social media influencers have been under review by the Police Department and the Law Enforcement Bureau (ED) to endorse illegal betting platforms such as 1XBET, JENGLEE RUMMY, JENGLEE RUMMY, JEETWIN, Betway, Betway, Lotus365, and more.
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Tollywood in the spotlight
Earlier this year, the Enforcement Bureau (ED) reportedly called up about 29 celebrities for alleged involvement in promoting illegal betting applications.
The high-profile crackdown marks one of the most important actions taken against celebrities. FIR allegedly includes names like Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati and Prakash Raj, as well as applications like A23, Jungle Rummy.
Actors including Manchu Lakshmi, Pranitha Subhash, Nidhhi Agerwal and several TV celebrities are also charged with endorsement of platforms such as Yolo247, Jeetwin, Junglee Rummy, and more.
ED’s money laundering survey under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) targets 29 celebrities in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, investigators claim many of these applications use manipulation algorithms to capture users.
Bollywood Stars Call
Several Bollywood stars, including Tamannaah Bhatia, Sunny Leone, Kajal Aggarwal, Mimi Chakraborty, Nargis Fakhri, Kiara Advani and Ranbir Kapoor, reportedly linked to off-road betting app promotions, which despite repeated government warnings from the government, are still related to distance-distance sea betting apps.
In November 2024, the Supreme Court filed a public interest lawsuit called Sunny Leone, Kajal Aggarwal and Mimi Chakraborty accused them of endorsing illegal gaming platforms that misled users and caused huge financial losses.
Earlier, in 2022, actors like Nargis Fakhri, Amy Jackson, Kiara Advani, Esha Gupta and Rannvijay Singh violated the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s consultations for supporting offshore betting brands. The ministry warns that under the Consumer Protection Act and IT rules, such promotions can attract action.
Additionally, the Enforcement Bureau convened Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor in 2023 to seek details on the payments for the promotion they reportedly received.
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Cricketer facing Ed Detector
Outstanding cricketers are also reportedly under the scanner.
Suresh Raina allegedly questioned his ambassador role in 1xbet on August 12.
Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh are under investigation for 1XBAT agent accreditation.
Rohit Sharma, Sourav Ganguly and Hardik Pandya are named in the 2023 PIL, which promotes fantasy sports apps during IPL.
MS Dhoni, Mithali Raj, Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom were also labeled as representatives in early PILS.
Influential people are under scrutiny
Police also booked YouTubers and Instagram influencers including Bayya Sunny Yadav, Harsha Sai and Testy Teja, accusing them of misleading hundreds of thousands of followers through ads from Dafabet, Betway and Lotus365, some of which complained about these promotions that were associated with large financial losses and even invalid losses and suicides.
Background to suppression
The Centre lists shocking figures to justify the legislation – 4.5 billion Indians lose nearly Rs 2 billion in online games every year, while the illegal betting market is estimated to be Rs 8.3 million, an increase of 30% per year. Officials have linked more than 1,000 suicides to fraud related to gambling applications.
Industry agencies such as the All India Gaming Federation warn that the blanket ban could shrink the valuation of Rs 20 billion and push users to offshore platforms. Celebrities such as Vijay Deverakonda and Prakash Raj believe their recognition is a “skill-based” game that is legal in some states, while others say profitable contracts blind them to legal risks.
