Called Only For Clarification, Says Vijay Deverakonda After ED Grilling In Betting App Case

Mumbai: After being grilled for over 4 hours by Enforcement Directorate (ED), actor Vijay Deverakonda on Wednesday clarified that he was summoned regarding a gaming app he endorsed, not a betting app.

“The headline should be, ‘Vijay Deverakonda was called for clarification in a gaming apps case’, because there’s an ongoing investigation into betting apps, but I was only asked to provide clarification,” the actor told reporters.

The actor further said, even the ED officials were wondering why his name had cropped up in the case. “I had endorsed a few gaming apps, which are completely legal and recognised by the Government. These platforms are licensed, pay GST and TDS, and are registered as gaming companies,” he stressed.

Drawing a clear distinction between gaming and betting apps, the actor explained, “There is no link between gaming apps and betting apps. If you Google top gaming apps, you’ll see several names, they sponsor Indian cricket, the Olympics, the women’s cricket team, volleyball, and kabaddi teams. To be able to do that, they must be legal entities.”

“The Supreme Court and the state government will decide what is right or wrong,” he added.

On July 30, actor Prakash Raj was questioned by the ED in the same case.

Raj, who was associated with the gaming app Junglee Rummy in 2016, clarified that he backed off from the endorsement in 2017 after learning that it was inappropriate.

A total of 29 celebrities, including Rana Daggubati, Manchu Lakshmi, Nidhi Agarwal, Ananya Nagalla, and Srimukhi, have been named in the FIR filed by the Cyberabad police, which accuses actors and influencers of promoting betting apps through advertisements.

The investigation is being carried out under multiple laws related to online fraud and deception, including Sections 318(4) and 112 read with Section 49 of the Bharat Nyay Sanhita, Section 4 of the Telangana State Gaming Act, and Section 66-D of the IT Act.