Many other gambling companies, including the illegal offshore online gambling company Fairplay, fraudulently made people gamble in the 2023 IPL by showing IPL live and many Bollywood actors were promoting these illegal gambling companies. Now ED has expanded the scope of its investigation in this case.
Actually, Viacom 18 had filed an FIR, in which it alleged that more than 8 illegal online gambling companies showed IPL matches live on their apps. While the rights of IPL Live were with Viacom 18.
By showing these live matches, these companies made people gamble.
The FIR also implicated actors and singers who promoted these apps through advertisements, enticing viewers to watch IPL matches on their platforms. During that time, Fairplay ran an extensive promotional campaign with many Bollywood actors, inciting people to gamble online through social media, trains, metros, and billboards.
Earlier in the Mahadev app case also, ED uncovered connections between Bollywood figures and the app’s promotion. The investigations revealed a complex web involving the underworld, with links to Dawood Ibrahim’s brother.
In this case, the statements of Bollywood rapper Badshah and other celebrities were recorded by the Maharashtra cyber police.
The Fairplay app’s alleged association with the Mahadev Open Book (MOB) platform further intensifies the network of these illicit betting operations. In this case, FIR was registered on April 20, 2023, following the complaint of Viacom 18. In which the company had said that Viacom18 has suffered a loss of more than Rs 100 crore due to illegally showing the match live.
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