Overview

• The ED has summoned Google and Meta executives for July 28 after they deferred their July 21 deposition to furnish documents on ad revenues and algorithmic placements linked to banned betting apps.
• Celebrity depositions began July 23 with Rana Daggubati and continue through mid-August for Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda and Lakshmi Manchu under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
• Investigators are mapping ad monetisation trails, hawala networks and offshore transfers to uncover money laundering tied to illegal platforms such as Junglee Rummy, JeetWin, Lotus365 and A23.
• The federal probe, based on multiple FIRs by Telangana and Andhra Pradesh police, names 29 film and social media personalities for allegedly endorsing unregulated gambling apps.
• Authorities estimate the illicit betting ecosystem evades ₹27,000 crore in taxes annually and defrauds millions of users through surrogate ads and white-label operations despite blocking orders.