Vijay Deverakonda's team responds to FIR for allegedly promoting betting apps: ‘Endorsement was for skill-based games’

Actor Vijay Deverakonda's team has responded to the FIR filed on him and other actors and influencers for promoting a betting app.

Actor Vijay Deverakonda’s team has responded to an FIR filed against him by the Telangana police for allegedly endorsing a betting app. They released a press release claiming he only endorsed online skill-based games that are legally permitted and not illegal betting. (Also Read: ‘Full compliance with the law’: Rana Daggubati's team issues statement amid betting app allegations)

Vijay Deverakonda is one of the many actors and influencers named in an FIR filed by the Telangana police.

Vijay Deverakonda’s team responds to FIR

Vijay’s team claims that the actor was the company's brand ambassador for a limited time and only endorsed legal games: “This is to inform the public and all concerned parties that Mr Vijay Deverakonda 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.”

They also pointed out that the Supreme Court has upheld that online games such as rummy ‘involve skill rather than chance’, adding, “It is important to clarify that skill-based games, including online games such as rummy, have been repeatedly recognized by the Honourable Supreme Court of India as distinct from gambling or gaming. The court has upheld that such games involve skill rather than chance, making them legally permissible.”

Vijay’s legal team had supposedly reviewed his agreement before he signed on to ensure everything he did was legal, “Mr 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.”

They ended the note by clarifying that it was being issued to ‘eliminate any misconceptions/misinformation’ and to claim that Vijay’s endorsement was ‘legally recognised’ and ‘lawful’.

What happened

On Wednesday, a case was registered against actors Vijay, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Lakshmi Manchu, Pranitha, Nidhhi Agerwal, and several social media influencers for allegedly promoting betting apps. According to PTI, the complainant, a businessman, accused them of endorsing betting apps on social media through pop-up ads and other means.

The police said that based on the complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections of the BNS, the Gaming Act, and the IT Act on March 19. The case is currently under investigation. All forms of online betting are prohibited under the Telangana Gaming Act of 2017. The police are planning to issue notices to those named in the FIR.

Meanwhile, sources from the Telugu film industry said they plan to advise the Movie Artistes Association (MAA) on the issue. Once further details emerge, the industry body intends to educate its members on ethical advertising practices, the sources added.