Actor Vijay Deverakonda, who is basking in the glory of his recent success with Kingdom, was called in by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as part of an investigation into celebrity endorsements associated with illicit betting apps. Vijay Deverakonda visited the ED office in Basheerbagh, Hyderabad, around 11 a.m. on Wednesday for questioning. Officials are said to be scrutinizing his endorsement deals with some of the betting apps and the payment modality received therefrom.
Deverakonda’s visit follows closely after actor Prakash Raj was interrogated for more than five hours on July 30. Raj explained that although he did an ad for a gaming app in 2016, he refused payment, stating, “I did not take any payment, as my conscience did not allow me to.” He confessed he later regretted being part of the campaign.
The ED investigation gained momentum last month after it instituted an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), tagging 29 public figures such as actors, YouTubers, social media influencers, and TV personalities. The probe is based on five individual FIRs registered at various points across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Among the list of those summoned are Rana Daggubati, Manchu Lakshmi, Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash, and Ananya Nagella. Sreemukhi, Shyamala, Varshini Sounderajan, Neha Pathan, and Harsha Sai are also on the list of inquiry.
బెట్టింగ్ యాప్స్ కేసులో ఈడీ ఎదుట హజరైన హీరో విజయ్ దేవరకొండ#VijayDeverakonda #kingdom #SayNoToBettingApps pic.twitter.com/BJCQzPPloq
— Narendra News (@Narendra4News) August 6, 2025
Rana Daggubati, who was initially appearing on July 23, asked for a reschedule and is now due on August 11. Manchu Lakshmi has been called for August 13.
Certain celebrities, such as Deverakonda and Daggubati, have stood their ground to assert that their endorsements were for skill-based gaming platforms that were allegedly legally compliant at the time.
The ED is continuing to investigate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and more celebrities might be summoned as the case unfolds.
