ED Issues Notices To Google, Meta Over Betting App Cases
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday sent notices to tech giants Google and Meta, asking the companies to appear before it on July 21 for questioning. The notices are part of the ongoing investigation in connection with online betting app cases and promotion of alleged illegal gambling platforms.
The probe agency has accused both the tech giants of facilitating the promotion of betting applications that are currently under investigation for financial fraud cases, which include money laundering and hawala transactions.
Officials alleged that these companies have given advertising spaces and allowed websites linked to the illegal online betting platforms to improve visibility on their respective platforms. They pointed out that the tech companies hence contributed to the reach of the illegal betting app’s online reach.
The agency recently questioned several celebrities and influencers in connection with the case. In recent weeks, the ED has been investigating a vast network of online betting apps. Several such platforms were suspected of masquerading as skill-based games while actually engaging in illegal gambling, generating illicit money worth crores of rupees. The funds have been routed through complex Hawala channels to avoid the legal eye.
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The probe agency registered a case against 29 individuals, including prominent actors, television hosts, and social media influencers, for allegedly promoting these illegal betting applications. As per reports, the Mahadev Betting App is one of the major fraudsters with a total scam estimated to exceed Rs 6,000 crore.
Another scammer, the Fairplay IPL betting app, which illegally streamed IPL matches and facilitated unauthorized online betting, caused huge losses to Viacom18—, the official broadcaster of the tournament. Those who endorsed such apps have also been implicated by the probe team. Officials have reportedly arrested, made asset attachments and filed charge sheets against several persons in connection with the betting app cases so far.
