A number of prominent Indian actors have been accused of \u201caccepting huge sums of money\u201d to promote illegal betting platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As reported by The Tribune<\/strong> in India<\/strong>, a case under relevant sections of India\u2019s BNS<\/strong>, Gaming Act and IT Act<\/strong> has been registered against six actors and 19 social media influencers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The issue was brought to the attention of the authorities by an unnamed businessman who claims that he came across those accused actively promoting the platforms on social media via pop-up ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese platforms are encouraging [the] public, especially people who are in dire need of money, to invest their hard-earned money in those apps\/websites. Slowly they get addicted to these apps, leading to financial distress,\u201d claimed the businessman in his first information report (FIR) submitted to the Indian police. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Miyapur Police Station, the case includes actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj and Vijay Deverkonda<\/strong> \u2013 stars of cinema in the Telugu language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The businessman has urged the police to take the necessary action to manage the platforms and those individuals who are illegally promoting them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The issue of the black market in India continues to rear its head as a new report the All India Gaming Federation<\/strong> detailed that unlicensed betting platforms had a total of 1.6 billion visits over a three-month period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It detailed that over a three-month period, social media drove 42.8 million visits to just four illegal sites, whilst referral traffic generated 247.5 million visits, primarily from adult sites, gambling affiliates and promotions on sports and video streaming platforms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It specifically took aim at the Facebook advertising policy, which has grown monumentally in recent times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Identifying how this can be combated, the report called on \u200b\u200bthe relevant ministries to establish arrangements with digital advertising intermediaries, including social media platforms, search engines, and ad networks to \u201cproactively monitor, flag, and remove illegal betting and gambling-related advertisements.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n It also called on governing bodies and regulators to enforce stricter ad policies when it comes to ensuring direct paid advertisements are moderated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Advertising Council of India has also previously highlighted illegal offshore betting as a continuous \u201cmajor concern\u201d, as 890 ads for the sector were reported to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting between April and September 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Off the back of the report, the Indian advertising authority has sharpened its toolbox in terms of tackling black market advertisements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n