Tollywood actor Vijay Deverakonda appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday in connection with an ongoing investigation into the promotion of illegal betting apps. The actor arrived at the ED’s regional office at Basheerbagh, Hyderabad, around 11 a.m. and is expected to be questioned regarding his contracts, endorsements, and payments received from betting platforms.
Deverakonda is the second actor to be questioned by the ED in this case. Actor Prakash Raj had earlier appeared before the agency on July 30 and was questioned for nearly five hours. Prakash Raj clarified to officials that he had not accepted any payment for an endorsement he did back in 2016 for a gaming app. He stated that he later realized he should not have associated with it and acted purely on conscience.
The ED has summoned four prominent actors so far — Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, and Manchu Lakshmi — as part of its investigation. Rana Daggubati, who was originally scheduled to appear on July 23, has been issued a fresh notice and is now expected to appear on August 11. Manchu Lakshmi has been asked to appear on August 13.
These celebrities are among the 29 actors, YouTubers, and social media influencers named in the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) filed by the ED on July 10, following allegations of promoting illegal betting platforms in violation of the Public Gambling Act, 1867.
The probe, which falls under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is based on at least five FIRs registered in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, including at police stations in Panjagutta, Miyapur, Cyberabad, Suryapet, and Visakhapatnam.
Other notable names booked in the case include Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash, Ananya Nagella, and a host of TV actors and influencers, such as Sreemukhi, Shyamala, Varshini Sounderajan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Harsha Sai, and Bayya Sunny Yadav.
In March 2025, Deverakonda and Daggubati, among others, were also booked by the Cyberabad Police for allegedly promoting betting apps. However, both actors have maintained that they endorsed only legally permitted online skill-based gaming platforms.
The ED is now probing the nature of these contracts and whether any money laundering was involved through these promotional deals.
