'Difference between gaming apps and betting apps’: Vijay Deverakonda after ED questioning | WATCH

Hyderabad: Tollywood actor Vijay Deverakonda was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for four-and-a-half hours in connection with a case concerning the alleged promotion of illegal betting apps. After his appearance at the regional office of the central agency, Deverakonda clarified to the media that he had been summoned regarding a gaming app he endorsed, not a betting app. He emphasised the distinction, stating, “There is a difference between gaming apps and betting apps,” and added that gaming apps are legal, recognised by the government, and licensed as a business.

Deverakonda provided the ED with all requested details, including account information, company data, and financial transactions. He reported that the officials were satisfied with the explanations he gave about the app. Addressing questions about accessibility, he said, "Legal apps will have geo-location lock. If you try to open in Telangana, you get a message that it is not allowed in this area. Some state governments have allowed this app. It works only in geographies where there is permission." He remarked that, "The governments and the courts decide what is right and what is wrong."

He is the second actor to appear before the ED in this case. Earlier, actor Prakash Raj was questioned by the agency for five hours on July 30. Raj asserted that he undertook a single advertisement for a gaming app in 2016, did not accept any payment, and told ED officials his conscience did not allow him to promote betting platforms. He reiterated, "I did only one advertisement for a gaming app, but later realised that I should not have done it."

The ED has recently summoned other actors, including Rana Daggubati and Manchu Lakshmi, in this investigation. Rana Daggubati was initially called on July 23 but sought a new date; he has now been directed to appear on August 11. Manchu Lakshmi has been asked to appear on August 13.

In total, 29 celebrities—including actors Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash, Manchu Lakshmi, and Ananya Nagella—have been booked by the ED for allegedly promoting illegal betting apps, a violation of the Public Gambling Act, 1867. The agency has filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) as part of a probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, based on five FIRs from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Many of these celebrities had already faced FIRs filed at various police stations in Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Suryapet, and Visakhapatnam earlier this year.

Both Rana Daggubati and Vijay Deverakonda have publicly maintained that their endorsements were limited to legally permitted online skill-based gaming apps, not betting platforms.

With inputs from IANS