Actors Rana Daggubati and Prakash Raj.
Credit: X/@RanaDaggubati, X/@prakashraaj
Hyderabad: Following their action against social media influencers, Hyderabad police have now registered cases against prominent Tollywood celebrities including Rana Daggubati, Vijay Deverakonda, Prakash Raj, and Manchu Lakshmi for allegedly promoting betting apps.
This development comes just days after police booked 11 social media influencers who had promoted betting apps on their social media platforms.
On Thursday, Miyapur police registered FIR against 25 individuals, including these well-known actors.
According to the FIR, those named in the case include actors Rana Daggubati, Vijay Deverakonda, Prakash Raj, Manchu Lakshmi, Pranitha, and Nidhi Agarwal. The list also includes social media influencers Ananya Nagalla, Siri Hanumanthu, Srimukhi, Varshini Soundararajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shobha Shetty, Amrutha Chowdhary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padmavathi, Imran Khan, Vishnu Priya, Harsha Sai, Bayya Sunny Yadav, Shyamala, Tasty Teja, Rithu Chowdhary, and Bandaru Sheshayani Supritha.
The police have identified the betting apps and websites that were allegedly promoted. These individuals allegedly promoted these platforms through pop-up ads, social media handles, and promotional videos.
Responding to the FIR, Vijay Deverakonda's team said that he had officially entered into a contract with a company solely for the limited purpose of serving as a brand ambassador for skill-based games. His endorsement was strictly confined to regions and territories where online skill-based games are legally permitted.
His team also said that skill-based games, including online games such as rummy, have been repeatedly recognized by the Supreme Court as distinct from gambling or gaming. The court has upheld that such games involve skill rather than chance, making them legally permissible.
“Vijay Deverakonda’s legal team and agencies carefully review all associations before entering into any agreements. After a thorough legal review, he had agreed to endorse the skill-based gaming platform A23, ensuring that his association aligned with the law standards. However, his endorsement term ended in 2023, and he is no longer associated with the brand,” said Vijay's team.
Also Rana Daggubati team said that he entered into a contract with a company to act as a brand ambassador for skill-based games, which expired in 2017.
His endorsement was strictly limited to regions where online skill-based games were legally permitted.
The team said that Rana Daggubati’s endorsement of a legal and skill-based gaming platform was fully compliant with the law. It is essential to highlight these online games, have been recognized by the Supreme Court of India as distinct from gambling. The Court has ruled that these games are based on skill, not chance, and are therefore legally allowed, said Rana's team.